Front Desk Receptionist (On-Call) in Palo Alto, California at Channing House

ABOUT US

Channing House is a leading not-for-profit Life Plan Community in Palo Alto, founded in 1960. We believe that older adults thrive in a vibrant setting that supports active, engaged and healthy living. We provide a sustainable, innovative community that promotes this lifestyle, while embracing respect and dignity for all who live and work here. Our team of 200 staff members, from Front-Line to Leadership, drive the mission of Channing House, providing services to the 265 highly engaged residents who call Channing House their home.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Front Desk Receptionist serves as a central point of communication, resident services, administrative assistance, and safety and security support at Channing House properties. Employees may be assigned to either location based on operational needs and are expected to complete applicable cross-training and provide coverage across locations as assigned. While core responsibilities remain consistent, specific duties and procedures may vary by assigned location. The Front Desk Receptionist demonstrates our Core Values: Do the right thing; Be a team player; Focus on quality; Adapt to change. Together with the entire Channing House team, this role contributes to a safe, welcoming, and vibrant home for our residents.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

This position will be responsible for, but not limited to the following essential duties and responsibilities:

Front Desk and Administrative

• Greets and assists all residents and visitors with excellent customer service and welcoming demeanor.
• Manages and assists all resident questions appropriately or directs to person or department qualified to help.
• Answers and re-directs telephone calls professionally and in a timely, friendly, and polite manner.
• Documents all relevant information on the reception communication logs.
• Processes mail for Health Center residents, vacant apartments, deceased residents, and others as directed.
• Prioritizes up-to-date e-mail, reception bulletin board communication ensuring that requests are addressed as soon as possible.
• Provides assistance to residents with reservations, lost & found, lifting boxes or bags onto luggage rack or shopping basket, etc.
• Receives deliveries and ensures packages routed to the appropriate recipient and/or destination.
• Assists with printing, scanning and/or copying documents, distributing & mailing resident statements, stuffing envelopes, and data entry.
• Perform administrative and bookkeeping duties including entering cash receipts and accounts payable, compiling guest room charges, updating resident photo directory, and other tasks as needed.
• Maintains a cleanly and organized reception area and mailroom at all times.
• Notifies department heads and supervisors of resident passing and post memoriam frame as necessary.
• Sorts and distributes resident newspapers, as applicable to the assigned location.
• Monitors Transportation request voicemails and relays information to the appropriate team, as assigned.
• Coordinates with Marketing and incoming residents regarding move-in dates and related front desk arrangements, as assigned.
• Remains awake and alert at all times, on all shifts.

Safety and Security

• Always maintains security for residents and facility by ensuring individuals entering the facility are residents, employees, or registered visitors. Announces visitors appropriately.
• Monitors video cameras following correct procedures.
• Follows safety and emergency preparedness procedures and responds effectively to all emergency situations.
• Call the on-call Administrator, 911, or the Palo Alto Police Department (PAPD) during applicable events.
• Safeguards the stamp box, lock box, guestroom, board room, freight elevator, business office keys. Maintains documentation of staff that hold each key.
• Maintains confidentiality of information under Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations and Channing House policy.
• Immediately notifies Nursing and other staff immediately should a Health Center Roam Alert resident leave, or attempt to leave, the building unescorted.
• Act as “Incident Command” in emergency situations, when management staff are not available.
• Attends all mandatory in-service and safety procedure exercises and meetings.
• Communicates with the on-call Facilities manager and appropriate vendors during emergencies, in accordance with location-specific procedures.
• Conducts assigned property walks, documents irregularities, and reports concerns while maintaining required front desk coverage.

Cross-Location Coverage and Responsibilities:

• Provides front desk, concierge, resident service, administrative, and safety and security support at Channing House and Arris, as assigned.
• Completes required cross-training to become familiar with the procedures, systems, and operational expectations of both locations.
• Performs location-specific duties based on assigned work location, including resident services, administrative tasks, building access procedures, and emergency response protocols.
• Provides coverage at either location to support staffing needs, including breaks, meal periods, absences, and other operational needs.
• Maintains effective communication and coordination between locations to ensure continuity of resident services and daily operations.
• Remains flexible and adaptable to changes in work assignments, schedules, and responsibilities based on operational needs.[JH1] [AP2]

Upholding Company Standards:

Consistent commitment to:

• Establish and maintain effective team relationships with fellow staff; apply effective communication and listening skills
• Demonstrate professionalism in all interactions with all residents, colleagues, clients, vendors, and members of the public
• Provide a supportive and caring environment to meet the needs of residents as individuals and as members of a shared community
• Adhere to all company policies, procedures, safety, and compliance practices, and business ethics codes

JOB REQUIREMENTS / QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, a person must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required.

Years of Related Professional Experience:

• 3-6 months of receptionist experience preferred
• Equivalent combination of education and experience welcomed

Educational/Position Requirements:

• High School diploma, GED

Computer/Software/Technical Applications:

• Ability to use a computer
• Ability to use smart phone
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite
• Familiarity with Adobe, Internet and Scheduling software
• AVAYA Telephone system
• Two-way communicators and radios
• Emergency Public Address Announcement System
• Access control doors

Languages:

• Ability to speak and comprehend English, the primary language used in the workplace; ability to speak and/or comprehend other languages utilized by clients is a plus.

Required Licenses/ Certifications/ Background:

• Adult CPR/AED/First Aid certification - provided on Job

Travel Required:

• Travel between Channing House and Arris may be required during scheduled work hours; method of travel will be coordinated based on operational needs.

Skills:

• Communication — Able to communicate with others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking — Use logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Customer Service — Manages difficult or emotional situations involving residents, resident families, and/or staff; responds promptly to needs of residents, resident families, and/or staff; responds to requests for service and assistance.
• Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Time Management — Managing one's own time and the time of others.
• Professionalism — Presents self in a highly professional manner to others and communicate with co-workers and other departments with professionalism and respect. Maintains a professional relationship with all coworkers, vendor representatives, supervisors, managers, residents, and resident families.
• Quality Management — Looks for ways to improve and promote quality.
• Safety and Security — Observes and ensures staff compliance with safety and security procedures; determines appropriate action beyond guidelines; reports potentially unsafe conditions; uses equipment and materials properly.
• Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Cultural Awareness - Demonstrates knowledge of EEO policy; shows respect and sensitivity for cultural differences; promotes a harassment-free environment.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Complex Problem Solving — Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Organizational Support — Follows policies and procedures; supports organization's goals and values.
• Team Management — Balances team and individual responsibilities; exhibits objectivity and openness to others' views; gives and welcomes feedback; contributes to building a positive team spirit.
• Accounting— Record and manage financial transactions.

Abilities:

• Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Learning — Willingness to be open to learning and growing.
• Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• Ethics — Treats people with respect; inspires the trust of others; works with integrity and ethically; upholds organizational values.
• Positivity — Ability to maintain a positive attitude.
• Presentability — Maintains high standards for work areas and appearance. Upholds dress code requirements.
• Quality — Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness; looks for ways to improve and promote quality; applies feedback to improve performance.
• Attendance/Punctuality — Consistently at work and on time.
• Dependability — Follows instructions, responds to management direction; takes responsibility for own actions; keeps commitments.
• Discretion — Behaving or speaking in such a way as to avoid causing offense or revealing private information.
• Adaptability — Adapts to changes in the work environment.
• Detail Orientation — Able to concentrate on the details of a project, assignment or task at hand. Often times, this means spotting errors or inconsistencies, such as grammatical mistakes, numerical issues, or the removal of unnecessary information.
• Multitasking — the performance of more than one task at the same time and ability to prioritize task completion accordingly.
• Relaxed presence — Remains calm under pressure and in stressful situations.

Reporting Relationships:

• Number of Direct Reports (if applicable): 0

Work Environment:

• Generally in an indoor setting, occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• Position requires flexibility to work nights, weekends and some holidays based on needs.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to:

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer and operating phones.
• Possess multi-limb and eye-hand coordination.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision.
• Able to reach, bend, stoop, push and/or pull, regularly move 10 pounds and occasionally lift/move up to 25 pounds.

Channing House Diversity Statement:

Channing House is an equal opportunity employer. Channing House is committed to providing a work environment free of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and disrespectful or other unprofessional conduct based on actual or perceived race (including traits historically associated with race, such as natural hair, hair texture, hair type, and protective hairstyles), color, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, immigration status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, reproductive health decision making, disability (including sensory disability and use of a service animal by a person with a disability), HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C status, a legally protected medical condition, genetic information or data credit history, genetic information, status as a victim or domestic or sexual violence (including harassment, sexual assault, or stalking), expunged juvenile record, arrest or conviction records (except as legally required), use or non-use of lawful products off of Company premises during non-working hours, performance of duty in a uniformed service military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by local, state and/or federal law. Channing House also prohibits discrimination, harassment, disrespectful, or unprofessional conduct based on the perception that anyone has any of those characteristics, or is associated with a person who has or is perceived as having any of those characteristics.