Pros
Great benefits - fully covered, plus matching 403b contribution. Unlimited sick leave, plus vacation, holiday pay, and a paid holiday break. Good hours. Office was close to transit when I worked there. Majority of lower level staff and attorneys work very hard to assist all of the clients. Have seen a number of success rates with clients obtaining benefits, improving their well being. The computer training program was also very successful for clients who needed to obtain training to enable them to return to the workforce. This was a direct result of dedicated staff within both the benefits and employment services programs, who were always willing to go the extra mile for their clients. Many of the lower level staff are team orientated and are great to work with. The majority of the staff are very personable, and down to earth which is what made me stay there for so long.
Cons
High turnover for a nonprofit, which resulted in other staff being overloaded with additional caseloads and general work. This creates low employee morale and general burnout. This also affected the clients directly - constantly being transferred to a new attorney or specialist, with an unhappy/overworked employee. Upper management is more concerned about branding, instead of the increased workloads and morale of the staff. Management does not bring on board extra support for a growing agency. Many employees feel they are disconnected from the rest of the staff. Many lower level staff members work hard, while many managers set their own work hours. As a result many employees are unclear about management roles. Employees are sometimes promoted based on favoritism instead of skill, dedication and productivity. There is also a lack of ethnic, gender, and sexual orientation diversity. As a result there are "clicks" within the agency and if you don't fit in, these employees feel a sense of discrimination. There is too much gossip within the agency, creating negativity and insecurity about the agency and overall job security. Basic salary is very low compared to other similar nonprofits. Agency had in the past provided a cost of living adjustment to all staff. This is no longer being offered. Employees do not receive enough training for their positions at the time of hire and during length of employment. There is no funding for training, or educational advancement. Employees are not equipped with proper training on how to handle psychological/de-escalation training, when dealing with mental illness clients. Employee safety is not taken seriously by management and may become an escalated issue at the new office.