counselor

assistant

backroom associate

animal care specialist

customer service representative

Humane Society of Missouri

The management is mind boggling unorganized with a total disregard to your worth as an employee. The first couple of weeks I was treated professionally by the supervisors, but I noticed all of my coworkers were miserable and had disdain towards the system and the way they were treated. It was confusing, until I realized after the first month what was really occurring at this establishment. 

The setting is aggressively oppressive and you're treated like children the entire time. A better way to put it, would be human capital is the only thing of importance there. 
It appears that the management has no experience whatsoever and might be experienced in their field, but has no idea how to properly and humanely manage a group of humans that care about the humane societies mission. 
I have come to the conclusion that this is a toxic work environment. I have never experienced this kind of work environment to this degree. It took me a while to realize how horribly I was being treated. 


Very quickly, I began to realize this was happening:
* There was extreme favoritism and excessive misuse of professional rank
* The system was insanely outdated and like a runaway train most of the time. Without the help of the dedicated staff and volunteers, the supervisors alone would run the humane society into the ground 
* I arrived and received absolutely no training, I was like a chicken with my head cut off trying to figure out my job's tasks. When I asked for help by the supervisors, I was met with passive aggressive wording, gaslighting, and was turned away or told to ask someone else...even though, they hadn't been trained either. I  always left feeling less than after asking for genuine assistance. This lack of training caused a ripple effect of people that didn't know what they were doing, and then were blamed for not knowing. The supervisors would  use their position to try and make you feel terrible for not knowing something, rather than TRAIN you because, ya know, you're a new employee. Thankfully I fumbled my way through, completely understaffed, morale nonexistent and tensions through the roof.
*There is an insanely high turnover rate because of the way we're treated and the lack of supervision and systematic balance. During my first two weeks of training, over half of my coworkers left. They were exhausted, mistreated and emotionally drained. 
*Micromanaging through the roof instead of training. I thoroughly believe even the supervisors don't know how their newer policies run. They never take the time to engage with any of their employees, so it makes sense why communication is absolutely terrible.
*Communication, Communication, Communication.
Usually you'd find things out by a fun game of telephone throughout the staff, leaving you confused and unsure of what the new policies were. Everyday something would change, and the supervisors wouldn't let us know until the very last minute. Then they would completely abandon ship and not even learn the policy that they instilled themselves. 
* Frustration, Anger, Resentment
I was often so frustrated because I was caught in a terrible misused system of management. Any time I suggested something or question my concerns, I was met with a cold shoulder. It made me feel isolated and always angry/stressed
I could go on and on, but the energy at the shelter is toxic. The management needs to go. After so many countless attempts by previous workers to express their concerns about the head supervisor, it has been met with some sort of oppressive complete lack of understanding of the ill treatment of employees through a terrible system. I believe the main supervisor covers it all up skillfully because they have a great understanding of the work binder/stipulations in the workplace compared to the average worker. When I first started working, they didn't inform me of points, or anything entailing my rights as an employee there. They just handed me a binder and told me I didn't really need to read it. They assumed I'd leave or be expendable like the rest of their previous employees. 
The kind of covert manipulation of the hr rules is the only thing protecting the main supervisors role. It's unfortunate that one individual with blatant dictatorial behavior is running the shelter side of the humane society. 

There is a better way to run a shelter without treating humans inhumanely. 

The standards and expectations that are placed on you are not justified by the compensation. Policies rapidly change and what is okay one day can get you into hot water the next - you are responsible for combing through a barrage of messages to decipher the latest guidelines. Upper management only steps in to help with a difficult client when it escalates to the point of reflecting poorly on the clinic, (i.e. a client has proof that we have made an error that reflected in their pets poor health) otherwise you are on your own while the client verbally assaults you over an appointment being too far out, faxes not being accessed, or being told misinformation about a price or process. When these concerns are brought to management they will promptly ignore any suggestion on bettering processes. If you make an error you’ll receive a long winded e-mail about it, while you begrudgingly notice multiple scheduling errors and tales of misinformation from clients made by employees that have been there for upwards of twenty years. You are not held to the same lenient standards as these co-workers. Also, employees disappear. All the time. There is a fear about putting notice in when moving on to greener pastures as the common response to a responsible employee giving two weeks notice seems to be telling them to hit the road. Three people have been in the contact center for longer than six months, and only one of them has been in that position the entire time. That said, all of the different sections seem to always want to pass blame off on one another, there are countless transfers from the adoption center that are not the responsibility of the contact center, but have been sent there (surrendering a sick pet, a recently adopted animal dying) which then have to be gently handled and often re-transferred. If you value yourself, you’ll seek a position within another organization, The Humane Society of Missouri seems to be stuck in an age where human beings are expendable, point blank.

The job itself is rewarding and full of amazing people. However, the policies and morals of the company have been lost through years of compassion fatigue and high turn over rates. The funding received through donations hardly sees the animals and is instead spent on providing luxurious office upgrades and food catering events for employees. The president of the company makes a quarter of a million dollars annually with the only expectation of being a cash cow for the management team. The animals instead are euthanized because these donations are spent on human pleasure rather than behavior teams, stimulation, or training. Most animals that come through are euthanized for being fearful in a strange place and no one to work with them. If it’s not a death sentence for reacting fearfully, its a death sentence for going insane from being locked in a 6x4 brick wall jail cell with three outdoor restroom breaks on good behavior. I have a great understanding of the hardships that open door shelters have and the hard decisions that need to be made in order to maintain that open door status. I also understand that any living creature will need adjustment periods to new environments as should anyone who has any knowledge in behavior. If the Humane Society spent more time and money on animal behavior and stimulation, I guarantee that of the thousands of animals euthanized per year at this shelter alone, we could save several hundred more. They are too focused on making a positive PR impact to get more money for their events than hearing suggestions of positive change for the shelter and the animals in it. 

What I can say about this place. If you are great at brown nosing, this is the place for you. The manager picks out her favorites and if you're not her favorite, trust me, you will know. You will be treated poorly and talked bad about in front of your face. Want a promotion and didn't get it? No worries, she will make sure she rubs that in your face too, by calling the person who didn't get it by their title in from of you. All while staring you in the face. 
It's great being about to work with animals, especially if your mission is to care for them and find them a new home. To show them the love that no one has ever shown them before. However, if again, you aren't a favorite and you spend time with an animal to socialize them, you will be written up of fired for it. It's really hard to trust anyone there. There's maybe one person there, that you can talk to, that is genuine  and it's hard. Especially being in that field, it's mentally draining. Fair warning, if you work at the Maryland Heights location, steer clear of the management and the front desk. 
Don't become attached to animals here, especially if you know you can bring them around to become adoptable. If you're not a favorite, they will put the animal down in spite of your efforts. If you really want to save animals, work for a no kill shelter and people who care about animals. This place, they will drive you to the point of never wanting to feel anything again.

I've been in animal care for my entire adult life and this was one of the worst experiences I have had. They will work you to the bone and treat you very poorly. Supervisors will not jump in the help even when we have a skeleton crew and can't keep up with the public facing work, while getting upset with you for not getting the behind the scenes work done. Every one of my direct coworkers was hardworking, so we weren't slacking either. The management has no idea what the adoption staff does on a day to day and would onty interact with us if they had something to critique us for. If you need help, the managers will act like you are asking the world (with the exception of one). You will work long hours then be expected to work overtime. Working through your lunch is common.

Their euthanasia policy is also a joke. They tell you they don't euthanize for space, only for behavior and medical reasons, but as soon as things start looking full, they start finding reasons. Euthanasia is sometimes the most humane thing you can do for a shelter animal on distress. This is not the case for a 7 month old puppy that is "mouthy." 

Cleaning rooms could be stressful, but manageable most of the time. Coworkers are very helpful if you’re behind (most of them anyway). I loved working here 99% of the time. Managers were very lenient with some problems I had, if I needed off I could use Flex Time to ensure I don’t miss pay, if you needed to report something they were quick to fix it. The main downfall is their euthanasia rate, it is very high for the number of animals we get in, and I had to see many animals that definitely could’ve gotten better with more patience get put to sleep. The amount of paw prints I’ve received is upsetting. Really think about your mental health before working here, you may think you’re desensitized, but when you see a group of puppies pass from parvovirus or a dog you’ve been really working with get sent to be euthanized it’s a constant punch to the gut.

This is not all puppies and kittens. There are many things behind the scenes that many people can not handle. It is part of the field but there are a lot of politics behind the scenes. You do not remotely get paid enough for the things you do that will be with you for the rest of your life. There is almost no room for advancement and raises are almost unheard of. You are expected to work weekends, holidays, and even come in to assist when needed. The management has no idea what they are doing but that too should be expected when you pay managers who have been there for 10 years less than the starting rate at some other companies. The culture is a double edge sword many people have the same views as you may. However due to that fact many times everyone is unhappy and voicing their feelings about it.

I worked here for about a year and nothing ever changed. I left when questionable choices were made over and over again regarding euthanasia and adoption. It was extremely clique-y, like high school. Even so, no one ever really saw advancement in pay or job title. Management was poor and definitely played favorites. Pay was never enough for the work involved or cost of living. Often the mental stress of losing a battle for making sure an animal went to a good home or didn't get euthanized was enough to wipe you out for the day, and this happened almost daily. Benefits and doing my best to get animals good homes was all that kept me there. Helping the animals and watching them grow into loving, well-loved babies was the best part of any day.

Everyone you work with will be amazing and go out of their way to help you, the people forever changed me. It’s very hard work, you will be understaffed very frequently as many people are not prepared for how strenuous it is and it gets more strenuous when you’re understaffed. It can also be very emotionally taxing- animals are occasionally euthanized for reasons you likely will not agree with. This is the main reason people will quit. HR is aware but has not changed the policies despite many people telling them it’s their reason for resignation. Don’t blame the staff being made to do the procedure- trust me, no one wants to do it. Overall I would recommend this job- the people and the animals are amazing, the system just needs changing and it takes a very strong individual, physically and mentally, to do this job long term. 

This place is very cliquey.  If you're not a part of the supervisor's inner circle that takes days off together then expect to be held to a MUCH higher standard than them while they sit and chat with each other. There's random rules that pop up as the leads see fit.  Animals aren't given enough time to adjust to life in a shelter before being evaluated for adoption vs euthanasia. There's not enough of a push for fostering or reaching out to rescues to give animals a chance to be somewhere more conducive to their mental health.  The animals make it a rewarding job,  and the few times adopted animals actually stay in their homes and don't get returned is really rewarding.  

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Counselor 3 salaries reported	$16.25 per hour
Assistant 10 salaries reported	$15.80 per hour
Backroom associate 9 salaries reported	$17.00 per hour
Animal care specialist 5 salaries reported	$16.50 per hour
Customer service representative 10 salaries reported	$15.90 per hour

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