library assistant

police officer

court clerk

assistant

administrative analyst

City of Grand Rapids

Each day working for The City of Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation Department was very rewarding and exciting. I worked with The Recreation Reaps Rewards Program (RRR) collaborating with The Grand Rapids Public Schools to deliver 21st Century Learning Center grant funded programs to 23 different public elementary, middle and high schools. The best part of my day was spent visiting all of the different schools, principals, teachers and students involved with The RRR Program. I loved the respect I gained from the students, school and program staff and the community for my work with RRR for over 20 years. The most rewarding is a call or visit from a student I worked with over the years who has finished school, started a professional career or even started a family. My experience with The City allowed me to grow professionally and develop a special skill set that has led me to being a more dedicated and determined youth and family Services worker.

Atypical day at work consisted of me starting with some stair checks, then proceeding to assist with the safe room guys having to check the Pay in Lane Station (PILS) machines from the previous night. Then it was pretty much just patrolling until getting a call to assist a customer with a parking issue, because that was the division that I was part of, the Parking Services Division. I would assist parking lot and ramp customers with issues such as ticket issues, money issues for their fees, flat tires, tire changes, pretty much anything the customer needed to make them happy to be able to bring them back to park in our lot or ramp again. My co-workers were all great to work with, all easy going, just like the management, very easy to get along with. The most enjoyable part of the job was knowing that I was able to make someone happy everyday by helping them out of an issue.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Day shift. Overtime opportunities.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Poor management!!!! Favoritism shown towards unqualified workers. Management putting down highly qualified and experienced personel. Human Resources selecting who fills vacant positions within departments (as told from management leadership).  No leadership and direction from management.  Always changing their decisions after making there direction known to accommodate less experienced personel.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Always accommodating less experienced over experienced personnel. Two tier standards.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Always stressful because of poor management and leadership.

It was common for me to work 50+ hours per week.  I didn't mind as long as things were being accomplished and the workload was shared.  In the past few years, the workload was no longer shared and additional demands were placed on me.  The culture of the City has changed from working for the citizens and taxpayers to working for developers and social engineering.  

Managers who are ill prepared for responsibilities are hired or placed.  They are little more than "yes" men for agenda's of those in power at City Hall.  

Employees are tossed around and away.  Positions are written out of the budget with little consideration to the duties performed.

This was a typical job where the Union was always at odds with management.  I personally had no problem with management.  I loved my job and did not care for the politics.

Every day on duty was different, every alarm was different, you never knew what to expect.  This made the job exciting.  Sometimes you had very busy days and other times not so much.  The only drawback to the job is the potential for injury and the bodily effects caused by the exposures to hazardous materials.  

If i would have known about the Fire Department sooner, I would have joined earlier.  Starting my career with the Fire Department at 52 did not allow me enough time to enjoy it.

Grand Rapids has a history of leadership. In 1881, the country's first hydro-electric plant came to life on the City's west side. Grand Rapids became the first city in the United States to add fluoride to its drinking water in 1945. Grand Rapids lays claims to the first scheduled air service. We are also responsible for the first publicly-funded art installation.

With the new century, the people of Grand Rapids numbered 82,565. In 1916 the citizens of Grand Rapids voted to adopt a home rule charter. This abolished the old aldermanic systems. A commission-manager form of government took its place. This was one of the first in the country. That 1916 Charter, although amended several times, is still in effect.

I review the emergencies that occured after hours, I answer crm requests from customer service to dispatch service workers to locations in need. I personally do not need or have alot of superivory needed, I am able to communicate and work efficiently with co workers or independently. I have some great co workers, with great attitudes towards their jobs, however this can be a stressful job when some departments do not work well with others, but in the end they still make sure the customer is taken care of.

The City is growing and is trying to make adjustments with the Rapid growth of Grand Rapids. The City has a long way to go we need more diversity in the various departments. There is still favoritism and in most cases not based on skill or ability it’s who you know. Definitely behind times on the pay/salary scale in some departments this is 2019 not 1990. You must take care of and value employees in order to build a strong happy workforce!

great place to work with good people and great benefits, if my assessment was permanent I would have stayed. 
one con about city jobs is the hiring process being way to long as well as flawed testing systems which keeps a lot of regular or even new citizens from obtaing a city job. Once you get into the city your focus should be no where but up, the city value their employees and make them feel as if they can achieve anything and any goal set fourth for your future.

A typical day of work varies on the school your working at. I learned a lot about working for the City of Grand Rapids. Management was good depending on who the supervisor was for that location. Most co-workers welcomed everyone with open arms. The hardest part of the job is trying to spend time with all of the children when there's only one you. The most enjoyable part of the job were the children.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Library assistant 8 salaries reported	$25.29 per hour
Police officer 11 salaries reported	$72,978 per year
Court clerk 14 salaries reported	$55,839 per year
Assistant 4 salaries reported	$23.81 per hour
Administrative analyst 10 salaries reported	$89,205 per year

Working at City of Grand Rapids: Company Overview and Reviews

City of Grand Rapids

City of Grand Rapids Ratings

Popular jobs at City of Grand Rapids

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected