direct support professional

group manager

registered nurse

behavior technician

trainer

Friends of Cyrus

The work itself can be meaningful, and supporting clients with daily living skills is rewarding. Some coworkers are kind and genuinely care about the individuals being served. However, management and communication are inconsistent. Expectations are often unclear, scheduling can be disorganized, and staff support is limited. Concerns brought up by employees are not always addressed, which can lead to burnout.
There is a lack of structure and follow-through that makes it difficult to feel secure or supported in the role. Tasks were frequently changed, and new responsibilities were often added due to other staff members refusing to complete their duties. Managers would become upset with staff for not picking up additional work or covering areas where others lacked, which created tension and frustration among employees.
As a result, many staff members were burnt out and unhappy, leading to an overall negative work environment. Appreciation for staff was rarely shown. This position may work short-term for some, but it was not a sustainable or supportive environment for me.

The interview process and training were initially promising. However, during training and while meeting other managers, I began to sense how things might ultimately unfold. I’ve been in this field for many years, and unfortunately, this company left me very disappointed.

I understand the importance of hiring the right people to implement necessary changes, but new hires should not be penalized for the company’s past issues. During my time there, I noticed that regardless of your title, you’re expected to stay on shift—often while being out of ratio. They don’t fully inform you about the homes, whether they’re behavioral or not, or the specific behaviors you might encounter.

On top of that, you’re expected to handle not only your responsibilities but also those of others, all while being on call 24/7. Meanwhile, DSPs (Direct Support Professionals) often operate without accountability—calling out, arriving late, being on their phones, and generally doing as they please—because they essentially run the show.

I strongly recommend doing thorough research before applying here.

This company does not have good practices currently and I would highly recommend not working here until there is better management that prioritizes the quality of the day program over bringing in more money from the clients. The staff that stick it out are constantly stretched thin due to high turnover rate and have to watch a large group of clients with little outings and little to no materials to engage with them. The hardest part of the job is constantly being out of ratio and having to deal with consecutive behaviors on a daily basis from the lack of things to do and poor quality of life for the clients. The best part of my experience working there was working with the strong core of employees that would actually show up to work everyday and the hard work of the director and manager at the time. The company at it's current condition does not fulfill it's promises to it's clients or dedicated staff and there is a lot of room for improvement.

After working a full year trying to give this company an opportunity o get situated I had to leave.
The schedule I was hired for was never consistent. There was no order as far as what activities were going on that day. Yes there was a posted calendar but it was constantly changed by the manager and her "lead".
I quote lead because if you were to walk in you wouldn't truly know who was running the show....
The individuals had no structure. Constantly being moved from set groups. There was just no order among staff.
The manager was barely there and when she was she was tucked into her office.
It seemed like they were hiring just anyone just to fill positions.

This company is an absolute joke.
The hire up managers and such have a rose colored idea of what they would like the company to be but trust me they have no idea about the day to day..... It's only about the bottom dollar. Trying to expand when they don't even have a handle on what they have right now....

Worst company I've ever worked for......

I worked as a manager at FOC/LWC. We started off hourly then they made us go to salary. I had more years of experience and the only manager with a BA and we all made 30k. That is less than any other manager at any other agency. They accept the more challenging residents that other agencies won't, but they have a lower ratio than other agencies and way less supports for the staff. They told me when I was hired that they offered medical benefits. Lies! After 5 months of working there, I was finally offered health Insurance through a company that I never heard of before and that was not accepted at any urgent care that I went to. No one knew what the paid holidays were. The new hire orientation was a joke. I'm not even sure if they have an HR department. I honestly have no idea how this place is in business. If you are looking for a quick side hustle then yeah sure. If you are looking for a career or a company to stay with, Friends of Cyrus is not the answer. If you are currently working there. you need to be on InDeed looking to go to another agency.

I've been working at this company for almost a year now. I work at the day program, but I'm also residential staff. This job is not difficult as in manual labor such as lifting things, it is a lot mentally though. If you want to help people, this job is good experience with that. There are certain aspects to the job that are not rewarding. The pay is okay...but it isn’t enough. If you work here, you will most likely get another job without hesitation in this field in the event that you leave. If you enjoy helping people, this job could be right for you. It's a good entry job for healthcare so you get the feel of things. The day program staff are very clique like, so just be careful of that. This job isn't always inclusive, so that's another thing to be aware of. You get on the job training and you're paid for it. Communication within this company is not good. Managers will not communicate to the dsp's and the higher ups, don’t communicate well with the managers. This company does do some sketchy things within it, so be wary of that. 

Friends of cyrus retains top performers for long term, promoting from within supports their employee morale across the whole organization! Friends of cyrus employees are encouraged to seek growth within the company. When you’re already sure of the applicants’ quality, the recruiting focus is on finding the right fit for the vacant position. FOC has direct access to all applicants’ work histories, personnel files and references. FOC hires internally which reminded me of the mutual trust established between myself and my colleagues. Current Employees already have Meaningful relationships and understand FOC’ mission, objectives, challenges and how their career goals align with Friends of cyrus values and culture. This is a great company to work for, I’m glad they have seen my growth and value. 

I don’t even know where to begin with this agency. If you have no experience with severe behaviors do not work here. This place will take any individual served  into their agency just because of how much money they bring in. Staff, managers and directors never stay more than a few months. Upper management are horrible. They are always short staffed with 1:4 ratio but yet are still opening more houses when their staff need more training. Recruitment do not tell new staff what they’re going to be encountering in the agency which results in them leaving right after they start. Don’t waste your time here. I had a great relationship with my clients, co-workers, managers and staff . I left because of upper management, lack of leadership and poor training. 

As a current employee at Friends of Cyrus (FOC), I was hesitant joining a smaller company after having worked at larger provider in the area. Once at (FOC)  I was immediately impressed by the culture of the those I worked with- the staff and management "get it". With many managers having worked previously as direct support professionals, there is limited focus on work titles and more focus on the individuals and resolving issues. Every one is expected to be hands on, and I have seen upper leadership get involved in crisis events and fixing household issues. This is the culture that I want to be a part of, and I am glad to working and contributing to this company. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
They are horrible company it’s not a best part to work for them they don’t care about the individual all they care about is receiving their money 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Knowing they don’t care for the individual and don't care about who they are hiring to care for the individual 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
For the staff that care about the individual which is not much they try to keep the environment safe for the other they don’t care it’s all about the money 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I loved working with the individual the management is horrible and it’s a headache dealing with them

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Direct support professional 230 salaries reported	$19.11 per hour
Group manager 12 salaries reported	$55,000 per year
Registered nurse 10 salaries reported	$85,250 per year
Behavior technician 1 salary reported	$22.25 per hour
Trainer 5 salaries reported	$57,500 per year

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