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Via of the Lehigh Valley

I have worked at Via of the Lehigh Valley since July of 2018, Since then I have worked with all sorts of new individuals and have advanced to a Coordinator position. In order to succeed at this job it is important for you to be flexible. I work in the Workshop and I love the people I work with, including Instructors, Coordinators and Participants. We work as a team to help the people we work for succeed. I have made friends with my co-workers and I am proud to tell people what I do for work. 
For those working in the Pre-vocational workshop you are guaranteed a regular 8-4, 40 hour a week work week, however other departments offer more flexibility.You will be trained in a bunch of different aspects of the company and have the ability to gain certifications in many different things, including CPR and learning about the MANDT system.
The hardest part of this job for me would be when the Workshop does not have work and we need to work on "Alternative Programming", This requires a creative thinker to help our participants learn new work skills. The job is also pretty physically demanding and you could be required to help people in the bathroom and be on your feet for most of the day. You will also use warehouse equipment such as a pallet jack and skid-wrapper.

For starters, what they advertise online is not accurate. They put $12 an hour and when you get to the interview they say you need a bachelor's degree to get the $12. I don't know too many people with a bachelor's who would work for  $12. For holiday pay, you don't get 8hrs like most companies. If you usually work 6 hours on the day of the week the holiday falls on, that's what you'll get. The hours you get are not from 8:30-4:30 as advertised expect to work past 7pm. You are expected to use your personal car and Mileage reimbursement is 45 cents per mile. Expect to figure things out on your own because proper training isn't a thing here at via. after 1 week of "shadowing" you are put out on your own. There is never positive feedback, every week you get a supervision where you are pretty much told how much you suck at your job. I can count on one hand people that have been working there for over a year. Turnover is very high that even the coordinators are doing community supports. The individuals are the best part of the job. If you can look past all the negatives listed, you can find this job to be somewhat rewarding. I hope that this can help someone before they decide whether or not to work at via.

I gained a lot of good experience while working here, but there was no opportunity for advancement whatsoever in my department. They also claimed to be fairly flexible with scheduling, but towards the end, it was near impossible to even schedule a doctor’s appointment because of being “short staff”. There were also many things that occurred while I was working here that I thought should have been reported or handled extremely better, but never happened. I wasn’t offered any support in some occurrences, which led me to leaving my position. While I enjoyed working with the clients, the passive aggressive nature of some management and the lack of support from others, wasn’t enough to make me stay. They promote a nurturing environment for people to grow within the company, but I didn’t feel that way nor was it worth it to speak to management to voice my concerns as most times, it would be “dealt” with but then swept under the rug. Again, as much as I loved working with the clients, most days were harder than others and was not worth it in the end. Also, building up you PLB is pretty much impossible within the first year if you plan to never take a day off. 

I am grateful for the experience as supervisor. It was challenging but rewarding.  I enjoyed my peers, staff, and the individuals I served.  I really enjoyed the freedom to explore the community.
I was disappointed by the lack of training and guidance.  I was brought in with no experience in the adults with Intellectual and Physical Disabilities field, and my supervisor didn't offer any real training or serious advice.  I was expected to manage a caseload of over 30 and supervise a staff of 6, all while providing direct care if short-staffed.  
The work environment was not pleasant.  At meetings I felt like we were scolded and criticized.  Questions and concerns were left unanswered or ignored. The building was dirty, with flooding in the bathrooms, and dirty carpets and floors.  Maintenance would generally laugh about making any repairs.  The only van we could use was unreliable.  Trainings were frequently canceled and rescheduled. 
However, I had a great coworker who was supportive and that made all the difference.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Helping the participants you support, working with such a great team both at the instructor and coordinator level, and the benefits.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Like any job stress can be a factor.  Concern for the participants outside of the facility is something you may find yourself stressed about. All other stresses are mostly low impact because your department will work together as a unit.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It's a wonderful culture and environment. I have never enjoyed working somewhere so much.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
In our department you get your plan for what job you're working on in the morning as you check email and look at ISPs.  You help participants with their job tasks, midday you go to lunch and make sure everyone is safely eating, and at the end of the day you walk your group members to the door and make sure they exit safely.   You answer questions in your reports, and you go home on time every time. Its a great job!

I would not recommend this company, you are required to put a lot of mileage in your car, there are many training that you have to be a part of that are not related to your position. Management sounds friendly at first but they micromanage you and do little to reward your work efforts.You are also required to write down and report how you spent every minute that you were on the clock. You are not allowed many admin time and most of your time most be billable or you will get in trouble. This company seems like they care more about the money than helping the people that they serve. I mostly worked in the community but the office environment is very hostile and everyone is always gossiping. Honestly, I don't have anything good to say about this company, the only thing I enjoyed was helping the participants other than that this place was horrible.

If you want to feel under-appreciated, over-worked, and under-paid, then Via is the perfect place to work. The schedules are constantly being changed (sometimes multiple times in a day), they do not work with people that are looking to go back to college or are currently taking classes, they are not willing to accommodate and/or give parents with young children a hard time, and there is blatant lack of communication and support between the administration and staff, especially in the Community Connections department. The company does not offer much in the way of boosting employee morale either.

The one and only redeeming quality that this company has is the relationships that you develop with your fellow coworkers and the consumers that you support.

Helping the participants was often very rewarding, and I discovered a lot of new places in the community through this job.  Some days were easier than others, but could get very hectic with frequent last-minute changes and having to manage multiple participants at once.  Supervisors were open to assisting me, but there was only so much they could do.  On a typical day I was allowed a wide degree of independence, to the point that it was hard to know what was expected of me when first starting out.  While there was opportunity for a small pay increase by working toward specific goals, overall, the amount of responsibility I had to take on did not match the compensation that I received.

A typical day at Via of the Lehigh Valley is assisting individuals with the support, and focus required to live their lives in the community as you or I would. Everyday is a learning experience as to how to interact with our participants, and the community surrounding them to give them the best support possible. Management is on board and supportive 100% of the time, answering any questions or issues that may arise.  Workplace culture is positive, and there is a great understanding of work life balance. The hardest part of my job was getting used to the driving. There is a lot of driving involved in this position in a company provided vehicle. The emotional rewards at VIA out way any employment I have had prior. 

Unless your a supervisor, you are not guaranteed 40 hours a week and if someone cancels a shift your hours for the week will be reduced. You are also required to give out your personal cell phone to customers! You are criticized for the amount of administrative time you utilize and the amount given is not nearly enough anyway. Management meetings are horrible and staff are criticized and not at all valued. Meetings are focused on the fiscal aspect instead of training and development! There is very little on the job training and you must use your personal vehicle daily. The low pay and high stress environment is almost unbearable most days.

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