psychotherapist

housing manager

employment specialist

philanthropy manager

clinician

Jewish Family Services

What is the best part of working at the company?
They hold themselves to a high level and value both clients and employees as a valuable commodity. It would seem like long-gone times that a company will actually invest in a genuinely positive company culture and build comradarie among teams, but JFS does.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
There are not enough hours in the day. JFS follows the terms of contracts awarded by programs like Wraparound or CCS, however, these programs have strict requirements for client contact and massive documentation requirements. While they try to keep caseloads as manageable as possible and follow all regulations, nobody can do these jobs in 40 hours a week and no company is willing to pay for required overtime that is simply expected of social service workers. This leads to a high level of burnout and employee turnover, and in turn leads to client frustration and aggression toward service workers.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It is definitely positive and everyone seems to be quite dedicated to the mission of serving the community. Unfortunately, even a wonderful culture can't make up for antiquated program requirements which actually take away from the time we can spend helping our clients. Again, this leads to frustration and higher turnover.  Employees are given a lot of responsibility, autonomy, and respect. This is amazing, but as other companies can't keep up with case requirements and enough employees, the workload at JFS continues to get heavier.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day begins around 8:30 am during the school year and ends around 7:30 pm. One of the issues for many employees is that in order to keep up with caseloads, the work week begins to eat up weekend and leisure time. It is one thing to strongly encourage a work/life balance, but impossible to perform the job satisfactorily in a 40 hour week.

What is the best part of working at the company?
On paper the purpose of the organization is far better than their practice. So initially when joining the organization there is a sense of altruism and satisfaction in knowing that you are truly helping others...but that fades over time 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
I would have given it no stars but the site wouldn't allow. Sometimes the leadership is tone deaf to some of the issue that impact the immigrants they help and therefore don't know how to help them the way they need. Also they are another  Non profit that claims to be about helping others but it's really about securing government grants and donations by embellishing or flat out lying about the actual resources and capabilities they have just to secure funding but in the end the actual refugees don't get the help they need

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The leadership are con artists but the associates and people that actually do the work make it a good environment for the most part..with few exceptions. In my opinion there is an ethnocentric bias amongst the leadership.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Alot of work that can be very impactful for the people that you're helping in a positive way. However the leadership does not listen to the issues that impact the day to day which can leave people overworked, putting in long hours that they don't get compensation for and when it has reached that point..they will ask you to do more.

Well, a typical day at work was maintaining and updating client information.  Processing incoming mail and e-mails.  Coordinating different tasks with different department managers and doing whatever miscellaneous clerical jobs needed to be done.  It usually went smooth but when there were issues the team addressed them as pleasantly and efficiently as possible.  It was a pleasure to work there.
I was always learning new things because when I finished helping one department with a project someone else always had something else for me to do.  Many times in other departments working with different staff members.
Management was easy to work with because the workplace culture was goal orientated.  No matter how you did it if the goal was achieved everyone was happy.  That is not to say there were no office guidelines or rules but all the managers tempered their judgments with realistic expectations.
The hardest part of my job was maintaining the HIPPA requirements we had for each client.  I say hardest only because it was an area that I sometimes forgot, momentarily, some of the rules.
The most enjoyable part of the job was the teamwork we employed just about every day to complete a task.  I like working with others and find collaborative environments stimulating.

On a typical day I would arrive at the clients home at the time assigned and the day would begin with a bath or breakfast, not necessarily in that order. Medication reminder would follow with the client planning the day or abiding by the list of duties I had with me.

I learnt that is important for me to be reliable in this setting as most of my clients were not longer as independent as they once were and so I helped them to remain so for as long as they could.

Managing my time was important but overall management was dependent on the clients because I was there for them to help with functions (within reason) they could not do on their own.

There were no interaction with co-workers as I am on site one and one with the clients.

The hardest part of the job was explaining to some clients that there are some rquests I could not fulfill. The agency may already explain the help that we the aids would render but on arrival the clients sometimes had other ideas.

I enjoyed knowing that I could be there for the client when they need me the  most

What is the best part of working at the company?
This non-profit is amazing! They help anyone who is in need regardless of race, religion or income.
The Director, nurses and schedulers are supportive, kind and professional. It is the best job I’ve ever had thanks to them! 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
I am a Dementia Care Specialist, that speaks for itself. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
All inclusive and supportive, no negative comments here. I have never heard another caregiver or employee complain either. I can not say that about any other place I have worked. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I work one on one with clients doing my best to help them retain as much independence as possible. I offer personalized care. I help with cooking and light housework. I use various tools to spark memory. 
I enjoy playing games and going on various day trips to shops, walking at parks or walks in their neighborhood as well as visiting area attractions with my clients.

Very supportive environment for people new to the workforce, and good for folk in semi-retirement or who are content without having an opportunity to grow their career. 

There is a culture change that is talked about, but upper managment is having a hard time implementing it in real tangible ways for the employees. After five years of the same complaints, same promises, they are starting to feel like empty promises.The priorities for the employees are not the priorities of upper management- even though they claim them to be.

You don't go into non-profit work for the money, so don't expect to make a lot here, or get huge raises that even come close to keeping pace with the cost of living.

They don’t really care about employees. You are just a number to them, and they can replace you very easy. The processes change all the time, almost every day, and most of the time it does not even make sense. One day they tell you to do something one way, then the next day they say it is wrong and act like you should already know. There is no clear direction, but somehow you are still blamed when things go bad.

If you ask questions or ask them to explain, they take it like you are being difficult. They do not want people who think or speak up. They want people who stay quiet, keep their head down, smile, and say yes to everything. If something feels unfair or confusing, you better not say anything. They will make you feel like the problem, then fire you and call it a layoff. To survive there, you have to act like everything is fine, even when it is not. Just nod, smile, and do what they say. That is the only way they will like you.

A typical day at work would be to wait for the students to come in, and take attendance. Help each student with his or her homework and review. By utilizing appropriate language, interactions, and positive discipline. Showing model positive behavior. Assist in instructing and supervising children in classroom activities and implement and model family style eating during meal times.	Continuously monitor children to ensure safety at all times, and
report child abuse and neglect when necessary. Communicate with parents about incidents that have been observed and/or recorded on site. Engage in continuing education and professional development
activities such as trainings, workshops, and classes to meet required qualifications. Help to maintain a clean and organized learning environment. Sanitize all surfaces, equipment, and classroom toys. Maintain a quality room arrangement in compliance with curriculum standards.

I managed unit of 3 clients, assisted with everyday task, monitor client's medications, plan social activities, updated client's treatment plans to meet goals according to their abilities, I learned that no matter what job and duties you do, always plan to advance to better opportunities and growth, management often varied from person to person, too often displayed and focused on surface matters, not prioritized. Good relations with co-workers but, and did activities together involving clients living in other housing units. The hardest part was when a client was not cooperative in which your learned skills, motivational interviewing techniques will come in good use. I enjoyed working with people, and even though client's had disabilities they were unique and sometimes just adorable.  

The most enjoyable part of the job is my coworkers. We have an incredible, collaborative team. Our director quit because of the upper management and this has put us into a very unstable place with a “supervisor” who is quite the dictator. I do not trust the CEO or current upper management, all of who are men. It is suspected by many that upper management is attempting to remove women and people of color from leadership roles. Many have been fired, 5 during my time at JFS. The hardest part of the job is the inflexibility within management and lack of transparency regarding pay. With 2 years of no raises, I am paying to work here at this point. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Psychotherapist 2 salaries reported	$65,313 per year
Housing manager 3 salaries reported	$28.33 per hour
Employment specialist 3 salaries reported	$25.67 per hour
Philanthropy manager 2 salaries reported	$97,500 per year
Clinician 2 salaries reported	$59,250 per year

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