administrative assistant

social worker

staff associate

engineering technician

management analyst

State of Nevada

Each morning I met with the Deputy Commissioner to review office issues, complaints, employee issues, new business
Assgined new complaint files to Compliance Investigators & myself
Returned all calls to consumers and insurance carriers
Handled difficult walk-in consumers
Approved request for time off
Training Sessions for Compliance Investigatorses
Spent a tremendous amount of time each day assisting the
Compliance Investigators with problem files and guiding them on how to handle particular issues
Daily conference calls and video conferences with the Carson City Business Office

I was an insurance adjuster before going to work for the State of Nevada. My goal was to work for the Insurance Commissioner. Once I made my goal I learned a completely different aspect of the industry going from adjusting claims to becoming a regulator. I learned about the different lines of insurance including annuities, viaticals, bail bonds, pre-needs, personal lines, health, extended warranties, medical discount programs and fraud. The Division regulated any and all companies licensed to do business in the State of Nevada. I learned much more about NRS/NAC/REGS and Nevada Law. I worked closely with our Enforcement Section and was able to learn the process of Hearings conducted against companies and agents that were in violation of Nevada Law.

As I was in "middle management" my involvement in decision making with the Carson City Business office was minimal however the Deputy Commissioner respected my sugestions and opinions and allowed me to manage my Investigators by inspiring them to improve in certain areas that they were weak in by allowing personal training from myself and having them attend classes to improve their skills. As a Supervisor I felt a great responsibility to help those I supervised. As long as they were trying I did my best to encourage them and praised them on occasion for a job well done. I wanted to see each of them grow and excel in their positions.

I adored my Team/co-workers. Every other month I would treat them to a pizza lunch. We were a "well oiled machine" and I had no doubt trusting each one of them to perform their jobs and provide excellent customer service. We had monthly round tables for training purposes. When the Deputy Commissioner was out of the office and I was in charge I had total support from the Team. This was without a doubt the best Team I have ever worked with and I certainly learned a lot from all of them.

The hardest part of the job was dealing with consumers who were extremely angry that we were not able to resolve their insurance company complaint, I always stepped in and took the consumer into my office to calm them down. The difficult part was explaining why we could not help them as we were regulators and could not demand the company pay a claim where there was no coverage or a particular coverage issue. I empathized with these consumers as most individuals do not understand the complexity of an isurance policy and most do not read their policies. Explaining coverage and reason for denial was easy for me to understand but not for the consumer. I implemented certain layman language and examples that would be easier for the consumer to understand. Unfortunately we could not help everyone but after explaining in layman terms and using examples most of the consumers eventually understood our authority and why we could not help them. We always attemped to provide other methods for the consumers to use such as small claims court and other agencies that may be able to assist.

The most enjoyable part of the job was being able to assist consumers and to work with carriers who were willing to assist the DOI. Our duty was to protect both the consumer and the insurance carriers. In fiscal year 2012 our agency alone collected 4.9 million dollars for the consumers. Working with a great Team, no micro-managing and helping people each day was the greatest reward for me.

A typical day within the State of Nevada involves performing essential public service duties under layers of unnecessary bureaucracy. Processes that should take hours can stretch into weeks due to fragmented authority, risk-averse decision-making, and outdated systems. Many employees are burdened with the workload of multiple positions as a result of chronic understaffing and procedural inefficiency.

What was learned:
Employment within the state provides an education in navigating complex bureaucratic structures built to protect themselves rather than empower workers. Employees quickly learn to document everything, to survive in politically charged environments, and to maintain professionalism even when ignored. The experience demonstrates that competence, integrity, and good faith are not always rewarded in an environment where silence is often safer than truth.

Management:
Management quality varies widely. While some supervisors demonstrate genuine care and professionalism, many operate through control, avoidance, or retaliation. Promotions are frequently based on tenure or internal politics rather than leadership skill. Employees who raise concerns, request disability accommodations, or seek accountability often experience subtle forms of isolation or administrative pressure. Discipline is theoretically dictated by an arcane labyrinth of rules and procedure without room for abuse. In practice, the opposite is true. As long as management can fit an employee’s behavior or concerns into incredibly generic definitions, they are free to be as punitive as they wish. Human Resources primarily functions as an instrument of risk mitigation for the agency, rather than as a neutral body serving all parties; therefore an employee has little recourse but to accept their given supervisor’s recounting of events or behavior, no matter if accurate or not. 

Workplace culture:
Cultural norms across agencies tend to emphasize compliance, conformity, and self-preservation. The prevailing attitude prioritizes appearances over outcomes and discourages critical thinking or innovation. Diversity and inclusion initiatives exist largely in theory, while accessibility and accommodation processes can be adversarial and exhausting. Employees with disabilities or chronic conditions often face systemic barriers that undermine both their productivity and their well-being.

The hardest part of the job:
The most difficult aspect of state employment is watching skilled and ethical workers burn out in a system that prevents them from succeeding. Attempting to secure a reasonable accommodation, report misconduct, or improve an inefficient process can easily result in retaliation or career stagnation. The moral dissonance between public service ideals and internal dysfunction is profound.

The most enjoyable part of the job:
Despite these challenges, many state employees remain dedicated to serving their communities. The strongest aspect of the workplace is often the solidarity among frontline staff who persist in doing meaningful work despite systemic barriers. Genuine collaboration, when it occurs, provides rare but deeply rewarding moments of purpose and impact.

We spent our days on the phone assisting claimants filing for unemployment benefits. Our purpose was to determine if benefits could be paid immediately or if we had to refer the claimant to the adjudication section. This environment was a call center. At times we were assigned special projects that took us away from the call center,

I learned about the unemployment process and specific details that needed to be addressed such as out of state wages, social security, pensions and any other issue that may have an affect on benefits. We were allowed 15 minutes per call so I learned how to politely but quickly explain to the claimant the process and what would happen if they were referred to adjudication. There were many details that needed to be composed and explained within 15 minutes. I was able to process approximately 40 to 50 calls per day.

I was not in a management position but our managers were terrific and took the time to train us and help us with unusual questions presented to us by the claimants.

Our office had approximately 40 Claims Examiners. We helped each other a lot and amazingly everyone got along well. I always had support and I gave support back to my co-workers. We had occasional pot lucks and quite a few laughs. Getting a job at DETR was difficult as once you were an employee there you never wanted to leave!

The hardest part of the job was keeping calls to a minimum. Of course we wanted to listen to the claimants and wanted them to understand the process but sometimes a call would go over 15 minutes especially if the claimant was crying or upset but we had to keep the calls going so at some point we had to break off the conversation. I always tried to give a quick statement showing compassion but explaining we had to assist other claimants.

I enjoyed my co-workers and helping the claimants. We would receive awards when claimants would call in to comment about our good work ethic and kindness. This always encouraged the workers and reminded us that we were helping people and proud to be Public Servants.

Coming from the northeast region of the US my expectation of human servitude appeared to be a bit more progressive than what I have experienced in Nevada. Although clinically I was able to foster behavioral change with my clients, many of times there have seemed to be resistance from the management in doing so. Focus surrounded protocol and procedure such as minding billing codes and immediate utilization of outside trainings that might at all not be applicable to the clients being served. The vibe felt very money driven.

In addition, unlike social service work environments back east, there was no union presence. Good quality, highly skilled professionals would discuss their anxieties of being let go during the 1 year probation period if some minute piece of bureaucratic paper didn't have the proper initial (obviously i'm exaggerating but you get the idea). The hierarchy was definitely known. Work was done many times out of fear versus for what was in the best interest of the family. This was the main reason why I decided to leave.

Other discomforts:
Vibe of discriminating practices such as disrespectful interrogations and micromanagement of specific personnel only.
Nevada educational system rank #50 in the nation with NO outcry from government employees or citizens. Many cat fights between school officials, state/county employees and families.
Governor's conservative mindset and those who support it.
Mandatory UNPAID furlough days.Insulting pay and annual raise.
"right to work" for less state.
Staff diversity does not match AT ALL population served.
Approximately 50% Spanish speaking families with ONE Spanish speaking Mental Health Counselor.... located at a different campus!
No sense of intellectual curiosity.
Disconnect from the community served.

Positives:
Fellow CCS Mental Health Counselors. My direct supervisor. We work with what we are given. 
I appreciate experiencing the difference between a progressively backed public system versus one that is conservative controlled. (I OVERWHELMINGLY prefer a more progressive system)

Receive application from claimant
Review claimant's application for errors and report those errors to the Family Service Specialist
Request documentation needed from claimant
Determine if claimant is eligible for Food Stamps or TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families)
Intake with new clients.
Make and return phone calls
Issue Bus Passes
Presentation classes to claimants advising of their responsibilities on maintaing eligibility, how to do a work search, present a resume, dress for interviews and how to answer questions during the interview
Refering clients to Work Force Representative for job assistance
Entering data for institutionalized claimants (nursing homes, etc.) in order to make sure each claimant was being provided proper amount of Food Stamps
Report to Social Worker when observing a child that may be abused
Daily meeting with Supervisor
Observing administrative assistants to make sure they are opening and sending out mail properly
Observing warehouse workers to ensure they are maintaining current files, purging files, keeping warehouse clean
Making sure supplies are well stocked
Making sure all plumbing, lighting, air conditioning and heating units and electrical equipment working properly
Worked with security officer when angry claimants became combative in the lobby
Clean up lobby when accidents occurred
When claimants with certain contagious illnesses would cut themselves by accident I would use my Hazmat training to clean area
Maintained contact with building owner regarding liability exposures
Filling out forms for workers injured on the job
Assisting the District Manager on special projects

As a contractor, it will be extremely difficult for you to get an elusive role as a state employee.  Even when your job as a contractor is the same or similar to the jobs that are open to apply for on the state’s website (NEATS), HR will often outright deny you, stating that a contract position does not count for ANY experience.  You could be working for 2-3 years as a contractor with NO sick leave, vacation time, health insurance, and labor rights (according to them it’s not the right professional level).  However, the moment you apply for a state position, they’ll tell you that your experience doesn’t matter.  In no other professional role that requires a college education, I have ever experienced such limited professional opportunities for growth and advancement.  Not to mention, the training is abysmal and there is a revolving door of new employees.  Talent is not so much appreciated here as knowing the right people to pull strings and open doors for you at the top.  Hence, there are very little checks and balances in place to make sure that hiring is truly fair or that good employees are retained.  I wouldn’t waste my time applying for a contract or non-contract position with the state, as they have a lot of people in charge that have no business being there in the first place, either then they’re apart of the good ole boy and girl network of Nevada.  It’s no wonder why this state ranks almost dead last in education, health care, and public health spending.
*If you’re looking for possible job growth opportunities, innovation, solid leadership, competitive pay, and fair HR representatives then don’t waste your time, energy,
or talent.  Also, don’t give 110% each day with none to limited training, thinking that you’ll be rewarded for it.
In the end, you’ll never be good enough or at the “professional level” for any type of real advancement!

This government employee agency administers the health benefits for about 40,000 participants, not counting dependents. At the onset of this newly created position the agency was launching a reorganization to the Operations unit. Change in any organization brings challenges however government employees are a unique breed and entirely unlike those in private sector. Work practices that are common-place in private industry are foreign, unheard of and outright rejected at times so some value-added benefits I gained from working in this agency were more in depth applications of using behavior management techniques based on the audience's personalities and building management tools to fit the culture verses in private sector where you may be rewarded for knocking it out of the park and building amazing dynamic tools, e.g. I liked the challenge and the aspect of the position to be under the radar but didn't like the ignorance embedded in the culture and the red tape of government that is thinning, but still sticky! Overall I had a great experience and a great manager who taught me a great deal.

DCFS is notorious for terrible management, incompetency & a hostile work environment. The only reason I’m giving two stars instead of one is because I loved my actual job and population I worked with. I enjoy helping adolescents/teens who otherwise would not get the support they need so I am in favor of the programs themselves, these services are much needed in our community. But the positives end there.  It’s very hard to get fired so if the GPM Doesn’t like you for any ridiculous reason to include discrimination, they will just continue to make your life hard and harass you and gaslight and nitpick everything you do until you quit. The program manager literally brags and laughs about her little black book aka her blacklist. Management a over her are aware of her poor management and unethical treatment of employees but politics keep them from doing anything about it. When we got a new deputy they weren’t having it but her tactics did not change, they only got more sneaky and manipulative. She now has the supervisors  do her dirty work especially if you are one to stand up for yourself or report the harassment. They are not client focused, the priority is billing and $. Your clients do not come first and you’ll often be asked to do things you may feel are unethical. The paperwork and documentation is overwhelming and expectations unattainable. Until upper management changes, I’d never go back to working for them again. Employees sue all the time for good reason. County is much better and better benefits.

Working for the State Of Nevada in a area such as the Dept of Corrections you would think has great pay and benefits. That is not the case, you will pay the majority of pers (your retirement) and medical costs. Most people starting out will qualify for food stamps due to the large amounts of deductions the State continues to remove from your pay and not mention to the public. This is the biggest reason why the State cannot keep Officers. They advertise good starting pay but neglect to admit the deductions. You can exspect to take home about 40 % of what the State says you make in pay.

Being the States largest work force it does try to balance it's budget on the backs of it's Correctional Officers. When the State Assembly meet to review pay raises the top saleries  appear to the press who run with the notion that we are well overpaid without mention to all the dedutions the State likes to keep. Example.. A topped out Lieutenant makes $83000 on paper but the real amout is $42000 take home. Sounds good? That is after 16 years of service and the same rank for MPD will make $120000 just base and not have the major deductions.


This is a good starting point if you do want to be law enforcement only to get experiance and move on but until State political leaders stop taking from employees and stop the influance of liberal agenda and putting lives at risk I would not recomend staying there.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Job security during economic downturns.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The State promotes people to supervisory positions who have zero people skills who SHOULD NOT be in supervisory positions.  As a result, employees are treated like garbage.  Additionally, there is rampant favoritism by supervisors who routinely treat people unfairly.  Their buddy can do hardly any work, while everyone else has to bust their butt to keep up with the workload. The benefits are no longer what they used to be either.  Health insurance costs just as much as it does anywhere else and with the defined benefit retirement going away, there is very little to make working for the State desirable anymore besides the potential for job security during economic downturns.  Pay isn't that great - county governments pay more.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Physical environment is okay, but the culture is terrible.  The State promotes people into supervisory positions who have terrible people skills who should not be in supervisory positions.  HR gives lip service to treating employees well, but doesn't follow through or enforce it with supervisors.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Being treated badly by supervisor.  Supervisor encouraging employees to talk badly about other employees behind their backs.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Administrative assistant 91 salaries reported	$55,821 per year
Social worker 255 salaries reported	$79,913 per year
Staff associate 252 salaries reported	$83,760 per year
Engineering technician 187 salaries reported	$63,660 per year
Management analyst 168 salaries reported	$83,551 per year

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