registered nurse

counselor

assistant professor

technician

regional director

Hazelden Betty Ford

First, the workplace culture and employee morale is simply awful. I worked in three separate departments over 4.5 years and none of the departments had a positive culture or morale. Employees simply aren't happy. There has been so much turnover of employees, it's almost laughable. The ones that stay either stay because of a short commute, or have been there for extremely long periods of time. I will say that the employees that work with clients are extremely passionate about what they do and sincerely seem to enjoy the clients and genuinely want to help them succeed in their recovery.
Employees will complain about the organization and about management constantly, and rightly so! It is extremely top heavy in management. The employees that actually do the work with the clients are stretched so thin that client care seems to be suffering. They brag about having "holistic" care but cut the spiritual care and wellness department down to almost nothing (two people for each department for a campus of 180 clients) while they added new executive leadership positions. You never know if you're going to have  job the next day when you aren't in leadership positions. It was constant living in fear that your entire department would be cut and the work redistributed to other employees that are already overworked. And forget about training those overworked employees on how to do the tasks that they are suddenly being given. They'll figure it out, right?
While I understand that there are a million moving parts to an organization as large as HBFF, needed things take FOREVER to change. Even small things like needing new business cards with the proper title/credentials can take forever. There will need to be a meeting to discuss things further. On the other hand, when big changes are made, they seem to not be thought out at all. I'm sure there were dozens of meetings about the changes with the executive leadership team but nothing with the people that actually do the work. Then they act surprised that it didn't work and almost always end up switching it back to the way that it was before the changes. They launched a new EHR that didn't work properly and couldn't properly do billing so the organization didn't get paid for multiple months. 
I am so glad that I got out when I did and it has made a huge impact on my life! I didn't realize how much the low employee morale and stress was affecting my day to day life. Even just talking to friends that still work for HBFF, I get stressed.

This used to be the “golden nugget” of all treatment centers and places to work; however, it has done a complete 180. It is trying to keep face in the community while it has already crumbled and rotted from the inside. Everyone who has a negative review in the last 2 years is SPOT ON. I almost think it’s posers coming on here to post the good ratings just to help keep their facade going. Management is terrible. The company is too heavy in the sense all the $ goes to creating move executives and promoting current managers to better pay and titles, with no growth opps for anyone else. The managers have gotten away with rude and unbelievable actions, and then tell those below them, “HR is my friend, so good luck!” and the sad thing is, it’s true! If you start to ask questions or want to broaden your experiences across departments, they won’t let you bc they have so many secrets to hide. My review was several pages scoring 3s and 4s with specific examples, yet my end average was a 2 without any explaination; therefore, I couldn’t get much of a raise. They claim to be investing in their leaders, yet the leaders are so overworked patching holes and covering tracks, that they are all going against their own values with fake smiles bc they are paid so much and afraid they would otherwise be the next one walked out without notice or respect. They use certain principles that basically tell them not to let their bad employees know they are bad bc then they will be less productive, and not to let their good employees know they are good bc then they will demand more $ and opportunities and stop trying to do better. Word is getting out that they are not their old reputation, and I hope they can turn it back around (which has been described by a director that it would be like turning around a huge steam boat I n a narrow river). This leader also likes to say that they implement new models as “ready, fire, aim” as in they don’t aim or plan before starting a whole new way of working. People stay here bc they know what it used to be like, bc of pay, or bc they don’t want to drive to the cities for work.

I don't think I could express in this review how much this company means to me and how much I love it here. No company is perfect, but this company gets pretty close for me. No day is ever the same, which I enjoy. I love my coworkers. The documentation can be demanding at times but the staff understand and are always willing to help out. The team meets every morning for any updates on what has happened from the previous day. Once a week there is clinical group supervision and clinical team consultation. The staff communicate regularly so there is a rare chance of clients splitting staff. The case load can range from 6 or 7 during the slow times and possibly 12 or 13 during busy times for full time counselors. The clients also make a difference, they are struggling with addiction and are also some of the kindest people I have met. There will be the occasional client that is more stressful to deal with or is more demanding of your time, but that is just what happens at a residential treatment center. As an on call counselor there is a wide range for how much time notice is given for when you need to come in and help out. I never mind it because I enjoy being at work. Mostly help full time counselors with documentation and sometimes cover groups. I find this job rewarding with the progress you see in the clients. The company has great pay and benefits. I feel blessed to work for this company.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Many front-line staff are committed and care deeply about patients.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Physician leadership culture is challenging. Communication with physicians can feel inconsistent and at times not collaborative. Decision-making processes affecting medical staff are not always transparent, and physician input may not be incorporated in meaningful ways.

There appears to be relatively high physician turnover, which can affect continuity, morale, and program stability. Changes in expectations and direction may occur without sufficient alignment with clinical leadership.

Physicians considering leadership roles may want to clarify governance structure, decision authority, and support for medical leadership.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Physician leadership culture is challenging. Communication with physicians can feel inconsistent and at times not collaborative. Decision-making processes affecting medical staff are not always transparent, and physician input may not be incorporated in meaningful ways.

There appears to be relatively high physician turnover, which can affect continuity, morale, and program stability. Changes in expectations and direction may occur without sufficient alignment with clinical leadership.

Physicians considering leadership roles may want to clarify governance structure, decision authority, and support for medical leadership

I worked in the Children's Program in Aurora, Colorado and while I thoroughly enjoyed the work we did and the kids and families we had the privilege of working with, my coworkers and supervisor were very unwelcoming and the pay was not on par with the work we were doing.  Granted, you aren't required to have a license to be a children's counselor there, which would make me uncomfortable to put the care of my child under their responsibility, especially since they are working in mental health and family therapy.  There is absolutely no possibility for advancement unless your supervisor quits or is fired and you were the next one in line who has been there the longest; qualifications aren't a consideration.  The group that I was working with were very unwelcoming and not accepting of different perspectives of situations.  My supervisor was very hypocritical, making complaints about me that she was participating in herself.  She even went as far as to fabricate complaints about me when we got towards the end of relationship that we knew wasn't working out, just to have ammunition to terminate me.  It was my word against hers and again, she had been there for a really long time and I had no peer support.  It was horrible.  But it was great because it forced me to move on and now I couldn't be happier in my practice.  I have been able to expand my experiences and learning opportunities so I can further help the clients I currently work with.

Many in management positions across the organization are autocratic, micro-managers, who have NO skills to lead positive change. They all talk about "change management" but uses primarily to threaten any employee who questions ANYTHING. 

Many are condescending to staff - including clinical staff. Hazelden markets bright, hopeful, positive images on all materials, but that attitude is NOWHERE to be found in interactions with employees. Management is often sarcastic toward both patients and employees. 

Most in management seem to think that "professionalism" means they are entitled to intimidate, threaten, humiliate, and discredit their counseling staff. Other employees are treated even worse. 

Employees now have very low morale, are seldom given any positive feedback, and often told they can be fired at any moment. An increasing number of staff have cleared their offices of most personal items - now sitting ready to depart at any minute. Turnover is very high. The negative, hostile, bullying attitudes are not behaviors of healthy recovery. 

 If executive management does not fire most of the mid-level managers, SOON, the best employees will be gone. Perhaps that is the actual goal - then no one left will be any threat to them. 

The management acts in near complete contradiction to best practices for generating a dynamic, productive, and engaged workforce.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Pay and benefits are decent. Cafeteria is nice. Campus is lovely. Hours are manageable, option to work from home. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
IT culture aims to "protect the department" rather than partnering with the business and users. This made it difficult to be honest with users and to properly escalate issues. There was a lot of unorganized, outdated  and low quality , unvetted documentation generated and  made available but it was not vetted and the manager could care less.  Processes were loosely and verbally defined but not documented. You could get 3 or 4 different responses depending on how many people you asked. Technology was old, slow, unreliable, full of workarounds. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The business people and users were generally friendly, sincere and made my day most everyday. IT had some helpful and friendly people as well. Most all meetings are Zoom and they come across more like productions rather than working meetings. Seemed disingenuous. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Check calendar for the day, take service calls, work through tickets, follow up meetings with users, desktop visits; imaging, shipping, receiving, inventory of assets, clean up or install workarounds after incomplete implementations.

There was no real "typical" day of work. I would work with staff at shift change to determine priorities for the evening. I worked with new admissions by providing orientations and counseling for new patients. I also provided counseling services for clients as their needs arose throughout the evening. Group therapy was provided most days, during which assignments were presented.

I learned about effective counseling techniques and how to work on my feet. My skills developed as an effective communicator and I learned how to challenge clients to work toward their own solutions.

At Hazelden, I learned about compromise when working with my co-workers when we did not see eye-to-eye. I learned about the importance of patience and discussion in working out differences between co-workers.

The most difficult part of the job was having more admissions than we had staff to cover. We had to think on our feet during these situations and work to accept and work with unpredicted events.

The most enjoyable part of the job was working with the clients as their needs arose. The job never ceased to surprise me, and watching clients work out their issues and reach their own conclusions was the most rewarding part of the job.

It’s disappointing to see how much the work environment at Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation has changed under current management. What was once a collaborative and supportive organization has become increasingly toxic, where leadership seems to foster competition and mistrust instead of teamwork.

Management often engages in backstabbing and undermining — not only among staff, but even toward current and past managers. Rather than promoting collaboration, they encourage behaviors that make some look good at the expense of others, which has eroded morale and trust across departments.

The culture of favoritism is also concerning. Family members and friends are frequently hired or promoted into positions for which they may not be qualified, leaving skilled, dedicated employees overlooked. This has turned what used to be a brilliant, passionate staff into little more than order takers.

I sincerely hope leadership takes a hard look at the environment they’ve created and makes meaningful changes before it’s too late. Hazelden Betty Ford once stood as a model of excellence and compassion — it would be wonderful to see it return to that standard.

I truly enjoyed working here at the beginning.  I was hired shortly after they acquired Betty Ford and in the middle of what I can only describe as a "Cleaning House".  Each department seemed to be hit one at a time, letting go of highly qualified and loyal employees leaving behind departments short staffed while adding new responsibilities.  The stress was high, moral was low and there soon developed an atmosphere of fear and distrust for management.  The changes being made did not appear to hold true to the company's mission or vision and those working close with the patients heard their concerns and frustrations daily. The working environment turned very toxic.  What should be a place of healing, where people learn the skills to support and work together, to help and encourage each other, unfortunately can not, at present time, teach these skills by example or roll modeling. Management is tarnishing what used to be a respectful name and place and represented hope for many. I hope they wake up and turn things around before it's too late.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Registered nurse 4 salaries reported	$48.75 per hour
Counselor 3 salaries reported	$69,667 per year
Assistant professor 6 salaries reported	$88,290 per year
Technician 5 salaries reported	$18.65 per hour
Regional director 5 salaries reported	$126,266 per year

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