eligibility specialist

customer service representative

teacher

manager

substitute teacher

BakerRipley

Typical day is coming in and the customers are already calling for you. Theres customers in the lobby waiting to talk to you. You havent even clocked in. Yes this is before 8 oclock! Theres emails to respond to within 24 hours and about 10 voicemails to return calls for as well. Some of the caseworkers are busier than others. The staff that has time to stop and get coffee and chat are the ones with light caseloads- like the CPS caseworker (not actual CPS by the way). Yet those are the caseworkers that complain the MOST. Some people can shoot the breeze and be on their airpods and phones talking to their family and children all day long. Management- when there is someone appointed- is no help at all. The hardest part of the job is doing your work and also picking up the slack for whoever is out that day. Some people missed several days due to personal reasons or planned vacation time and yet management and staff gossiped about them taking time off. Most enjoyable part of the job was being forgotten by the headquarters- which is in Houston. We work as a contractor for the workforce- so we're really like a redheaded stepchild. If you have an HR issue, there really is no one to turn to. The director is in the boards pocket- and Houston staff doesnt know anyones names. I enjoyed working here until i saw the cracks in the façade, 

BakerRipley in a stressful and poorly managed nonprofit organization. Employees are expected to work long hours daily with poor compensation. There is extremely poor communication between management and regular employees. Management tells you one thing but does something entirely different. Never disagree with your manager because he/she will find a way to make your life miserable. The work at BakerRipley is stressful enough, but the addition of poor management/leadership makes it a miserable work environment. The focus is not on helping others in need, instead, it is a place where the popular employees can do as they please. Don't bother asking questions because your manager won't have an answer for you, and won't seek to find one. BakerRipley could be a great organization if management were held accountable for their departments instead of being given a free pass. My advice is that if your planning to work for BakerRipley make sure you're in the in-crowd.

I worked for a state funded program that was contracted with BakerRipley who mostly handles hiring, pay, benefits and some accounting. The actual work is tied to a separate state entity. There's a lot to learn in the beginning but the training process has been totally revamped over the past year to assure the success of new hires. There is also an all new management team who really focuses on the well-being and work/life balance of their teams. BakerRipley offers basically any and every benefit, fair paid time off, referral bonuses, and annual pay raises based on performance. They call their Human Resources department "People and Culture" who typically don't do anything correctly on the first try but is ultimately corrected. Management is very good at being persistent with fixing these issues. Great co-workers who love to celebrate each other! This balances the, at times, mundane and overwhelming work. The IES position has times of high turnover, but other team members and management step in to help with the workload. Optional, sometimes mandatory, overtime hours is also offered during busy months.

Pros: 
Meaningful mission serving the community Dedicated frontline staff who care about clients

Cons: 
My experience at Baker Ripley was extremely challenging due to a toxic work environment. Management behavior often felt intimidating and dismissive, and there were instances that could reasonably be described as bullying. Communication was frequently unclear or inconsistent, and feedback was delivered in a way that felt punitive rather than supportive.

There was a lack of accountability among leadership, and concerns raised by staff were often minimized or ignored. The environment contributed to high stress, low morale, and burnout, making it difficult to perform effectively despite a strong commitment to the organization’s mission.

Advice to Management: 
Address workplace culture by holding leadership accountable for respectful, professional behavior. Implement anti-bullying policies, provide management training, and create safe, confidential channels for employees to report concerns without retaliation.


This is one of those companies that is a social service agency, that helps others but in the process, pays really low wages to its employees and offers expensive health insurance. Makes no sense. Health insurance should not be termed a "benefit" if it is so expensive to afford. Things at management level change frequently and it is all about meeting federal policy guidelines even during a pandemic, so expect to be in high stress environment often. 

The good is that coworkers are friendly, no one tries to make you look bad, you learn a lot of things, could be promoted from within. However, at the same time, there is a bit of corporate vibes (without the corporate salaries) as everything depends on money from the government.

A typical day at work was outstanding.  Sometimes overwhelming, but I enjoyed it all. I learned so much about accommodating others, assisting them with housing, medical, and counseling, these were flood victims and survivors that lost some if not all their homes and valuables. And I was able to help-with all the different programs that related to Bakerripley. As in all job’s management had pros and cons.  But I'm a unique professional person with a great personality skills-people oriented-so I've never encounter conflict with management. Workplace culture was diverse.  And the hardest part of my job was when I was unable to provide service for those who was in much need of assistance. (A new place of residence. so that was hard.  The most enjoyable part of my job was getting there to see who I could help next.  Researching every non-profit establishment to find help for the Harvey Survivors.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Some depts. have a higher staff turnover than others. I worked with the IT Dept. for over 7 years, and in this Dept. including many other depts. you are not likely to get any hassle, if you do your job. My Director and Managers were just awesome at managing staff and the work processes.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Some positions may well be more stressful than others, but I am not able to speak to that.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It is as close as an Equal Opportunity Work environment as you can get anywhere, and  it has many training and other opportunities for advancing and promoting staff. You can't ask for more.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Almost like magic, all the staff in the IT dept. are always diligent at their work and I was glad to part of such an effective team.

Unfortunately, the Director of Child Care Services provided very little support to the team. There was noticeable favoritism, inconsistent communication, and unequal treatment among staff. Instead of encouraging unity, leadership decisions often created division, which negatively affected morale and productivity. The most difficult part was trying to perform well while receiving almost no support or clear direction from leadership. Navigating favoritism and team separation added unnecessary stress to what could have been a positive and impactful role. The most enjoyable aspect was serving the community and knowing the work made a difference for children and families. Collaborating with colleagues who truly cared about their work was also a highlight, even though those moments were limited by the overall environment.

Despite being an internship, you will be treated as a full-time employee. The supervisor gives little to no guidance as he expects you to already be a pro within the field and then berates you when you produce work that isn't what he expected. The marketing/development team is very small so be prepared to be the only other person working on graphic design and marketing materials. My supervisor accused me of plagiarism despite my portfolio explaining that it was a school project based on another work. Some of the coworkers were chill and the company events were fun but the upper management was very micromanaging. Do not intern here unless you want to feel immense pressure on your shoulders and not be given any mentorship for projects.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The staff is very hard workers and like helping others. Giving back to the neighbors is most important. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
No room for growth they don't promote fairly within the company. The pay could be better for the amount of work that you do. Lot of workers  go out there way to do a great job with no balance rewards. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Just do your job and go home. They have favorites and you just don't want to lose your job 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Work  environment is  great 
.Do your best goals and go home. You have to meet your goals if you wanted a raise. A great opportunity to work and learn a lot about non-profit organizations.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Eligibility specialist 7 salaries reported	$23.02 per hour
Customer service representative 5 salaries reported	$19.30 per hour
Teacher 3 salaries reported	$57,667 per year
Manager 4 salaries reported	$73,750 per year
Substitute teacher 3 salaries reported	$17.00 per hour

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