Teri Lutzke joined our east metro Human Resources team as a Recruiter a few months ago. She brings with her a special passion for her work as her brother, Brad, was a special needs child who passed away at the age of 7. “I’ve always felt that I wanted to honor him and help others,” Teri says. “My mom worked at a group home in Coon Rapids. After high school, I started working part time for the same company. I got to see sparks of Brad in others I took care of. It made me feel like he was around.”

Over the years, Teri held a variety of jobs both in and out of the direct care field. Unfortunately, a back injury meant she could no longer do direct care. “I decided that human resources is a role that’s needed no matter where you go in the country,” Teri says. She went to college and earned a degree in human resources (HR). “I did human resources work for a machine shop, but the passion wasn’t there. I wasn’t satisfied.” Then she saw an ad on Indeed for Northeast Residence (now Hammer & NER) which provides housing and supportive services to people with intellectual and other disabilities in the east metro. “I knew about the company and applied. The interview went great, and I was offered the job!” Teri began her new role in July 2022.

“I’m really happy to be doing what I set out to do: working with a company that helps people with disabilities live their best lives,” Teri says. “I wanted to be in HR and walked into it with open arms.”

What is her approach to recruiting during a staffing shortage that affects so many businesses? “When I go to a job fair, I don’t go with hopes of bringing in tons of people,” Teri says. “Those days are gone. People are looking at websites, but if they don’t know we exist, they’re not going to go to our website. I try to get our name out there, especially in areas where we’re not well known. And there are people who aren’t looking for a job right now, but if I can get them to take a mug or my business card or something else with our name on it, then our name will be in front of them when they’re ready. I also place ads on Indeed,” she says. “That’s one of the go-to places when you’re looking for a job.”

Teri had a great time interacting with the people we serve at our summer luau.

Teri says applicants want to know how big our group homes are (how many people live at the home). “Four is a magical number,” she says. “If you’re understaffed, which happens quite a bit, 4:1 is a good ratio.” What does she say to applicants who have never done direct care work and may be nervous about it? “For people who are new, I tell them, ‘You may have kids, or helped others, you’re literally doing the same thing (providing personal care), but now it’s just for someone else.’” Teri pauses for a moment. “It’s humbling to have someone new do personal cares for you. The first time both of you may feel awkward, but then you realize it’s something they need; they need to be helped to live. If you think about it, we are all an accident or injury away from needing help.”

Teri thinks about her brother, Brad, who passed away at such a young age. “This is the kind of group home my parents would have wanted for him,” she says, had he lived to adulthood. “It’s easy for me to talk about the company to other people. We really care about the people we support as well as our staff. We want to be sure staff don’t get burned out which is always a concern, especially during a staffing shortage. There are so many positives that come with this company; you will be taken care of. It makes it easy to have a positive conversation with someone. This is really a great company in all aspects.”

Want to learn more about opportunities available in our east metro homes? Visit Hammer.org/careers/ Be sure to check back frequently!

The post Meet Teri, Our East Metro Recruiting Specialist! appeared first on Hammer.

I’ve always felt like I’ve grown up at Hammer. Lisbeth Armstrong (our Chief Program Officer) is a close friend of my parents. I was lucky enough to have her and her husband Mark heavily involved in my life. When “Take Your Daughter to Work Day” came along and sitting in my dad’s home office all day sounded boring as all heck, I went with Lisbeth to Hammer. I have fond memories of the old main building and getting to use typewriters with all different colors of paper. I typed up “words of wisdom” and put them in everyone’s mailboxes. I’m sure my seven-year-old self had a lot of wisdom to share.

Years went by and I became too old for “Take Your Daughter to Work Day.” So, I began volunteering at Hammer events and assisting the volunteer department with projects. After my first year at the University of Minnesota Duluth, Lisbeth encouraged me to apply at Hammer. There was a kid’s home opening and they would need daytime staff during summer. I spent those next 4 summers with the kids at Emery, and did a whole lot of growing up! I learned so much from my co-workers and the kids we were supporting.

After graduating, I began working full-time at Hammer. I felt extremely lucky to have a job immediately after graduating. I was excited to keep learning and pursuing opportunities for leadership training. While my friends searched for work and tried to figure out what they wanted to do, I found myself repeating “you could always apply to Hammer, you know…”

My friends all know how much I love Hammer, and many of them have heard my “why I love Hammer and why you should work for them, too” speech more times than they’d like. Even so, amidst my repetitiveness I actually managed to convince some of my dearest friends to come to Hammer. I can’t begin to express how proud I am to see my friends learn and grow at Hammer and thankful to be able to share this experience with them.

Michael Smith, who used to fall asleep in class and beg to copy my notes in college, now manages our Southcrest and Wentworth homes. We continue to compete in the contest of “who is better at everything.” Sean Henderson and I studied abroad together during college. He now serves as Person Centered Technology Manager, one of Hammer’s newest positions, as well as being a Program Manager in Training at Knollway. Marko Kushnir, another friend from college, serves as an Assistant Program Manager at Broadmoor Apartments. Stephen Mueller, a childhood neighbor, serves the men and women at Plymouth Colony Apartments. Logan Willeck, my best friend’s little brother (which pretty much makes him my brother too), recently started at the Emery kid’s home. I had two other friends who worked at Hammer after college who have since gone on to pursue their dreams in other parts of the world.

What are we at now…seven? That’s a pretty good track record. So…have I mentioned you could always apply at Hammer? https://www.hammer.org/careers/

The post “You Could Alway Apply to Hammer, You Know…” appeared first on Hammer.