High expectations, low pay, and minimal support
Pros
- Mission-driven work that genuinely impacts the community - Opportunities to take initiative and build internal systems - Some genuinely wonderful coworkers who are very passionate about this field and the population
Cons
- Pay is significantly below market (for operations and clinical), especially considering the large caseloads and client population (high-risk recidivism) - Role responsibilities (for operations mainly) often expand beyond the job description with no compensation or title adjustment - Lack of formal systems or organization to support staff efficiency or retention (both in operations and clinical) - So understaffed to the point where I was afraid our office locations would have to close because there was 2 clinicians (1 per office) seeing 200+ clients a month each - Management tends to rely on over-performers without providing long-term support or real recognition (aka: here's a $2 plastic water bottle and meme gif saying "idk what we'd do without you! :D") - Burnout is very high across the company and the environment is hectic and at times unsafe
