Justin Travillion feels pretty fortunate to have such a cool place to work. But as the COO and CFO of Lauren's Institute for Education he also knows that he and his team have a big mission to fulfill.
Founded in 2007 in Gilbert, Arizona, by Justin's mother, Margaret Travillion, and Carrie Reed, Lauren's Institute for Education is a nonprofit organization providing education, therapy and general support for those with developmental disabilities.
This includes a private school that serves students from pre-school to high school; wide-ranging therapy services from occupational and physical therapy to behavioral, feeding and speech therapy; employment programs; community services; an adult day program and more.
"Basically, any service that somebody
with a developmental disability has, we want to be able to meet that need all through one organization at one location, where they can all collaborate together on best treatment for the people we serve," says Travillion.
It's challenging work, that often requires a lot of hands-on, physical demands from employees at all levels.
"We're not in offices all the time behind screens," he says. "We try and make our presence felt and seen. Most of our leadership team actually started from being people that were on the floor, working with the people that we serve, so they know why it matters and they're able to be there and help."
Lauren's Institute is constantly hiring, Travillion says, in search of the right people who have the heart for this type of work.
"The skills are things that we can teach people and are things that can come along in time," he explains. "But if you're not in it for the right reasons, it's a difficult job to be successful in."
In fact, burnout is incredibly common in the nonprofit industry, particularly for those working with the developmental disability population. Travillion explains that its not just due to the physical demands of the job, but also due to emotional fatigue.
To help combat this, Lauren's Institute has a "tap out" policy, where any employee feeling overwhelmed can take a minute to themselves to reset.
"Sometimes you can just see it on the person's face that, hey, I think you need a minute," Travillion says. "We have support team that'll come into the room and kind of take their place while they can go and get some air."
Travillion believes this policy helps set the tone for everyone at facility, showing that pushing through tougher challenges isn't always the best solution.
"We all need [a minute] sometimes, it's really valuable. And I think that that's one thing that helps our staff last longer in the field than most places," he says.
Staff at Lauren's Institute overwhelmingly express how much they love their jobs and the work they get to do, additionally stating how valued and supported they feel by management.
That support is intentional, according to Travillion. About 10 years into operations, Lauren's Institute leadership began to feel a little disconnected from their teams as they grew. So, they implemented Lunch Buddies, where once a month Travillion and Margaret, who serves as the organization's chief executive officer, meet with staff in random departments for lunch and conversation.
"We wanted an opportunity to get to know people better — what better way to do that than breaking bread together," he says.
Travillion explains that each of these lunches is different, with some becoming brainstorming sessions while others are a little more emotional.
"We all get a good cry and commiserate together about the harder things, but no matter what, it turns out great," he says.
This vulnerable approach to meeting with teams makes it easy to see why Lauren's Institute was named one of USA TODAY's top workplaces for the second consecutive year.
At the end of day, what Lauren's Institute employees and leadership want most to empower an often overlooked community with the skills and resources to live joyfully.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lauren's Institute built a workplace where employees feel supported
