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Virginia Community College System

Start with the structure of a typical state agency: a director at the top and a few layers of middle management. Then add more bureaucracy: A Management Council to supervise operations. A bunch of Process Councils to focus on different functional areas. An Executive Council and a Council of Presidents to oversee things. And then for good measure, mash up that local leadership structure with the VCCS System Office in Richmond so that the actual chain of command is a complete muddle.

Everybody seems to have different ideas about how things should be run, and none of the "leaders" communicate decisions to the employees. There's no mentoring or coaching, no discussions of how to meet expectations. You'll find out what you're supposed to be doing when somebody yells at you for getting it wrong.

The one thing they agree on is that it's too expensive. Operating costs need to come down. And for a service agency that means cutting payroll, which means leaving vacancies unfilled and lowballing new employees on salary. You'll be overworked and underpaid.

Where to start, poor management, low pay, employees that cause the most issues are promoted. Training is nonexistent due to tenured staff leaving the company, new employees are not trained correctly and are not coached on if they are deficient in an area, they are terminated instead. Work cannot be completed in a timely manner due to the work load being more then the number of employees, and management not being able to give a concise answer on any issues. Management is extremely unethical, employees will complain about the same manager and nothing is ever done, so people leave instead. Employees engage with the director outside of work and tend to skip over HR if there is an issue. HR issues are not private, everyone knows everyone’s business. Turnover rate is outrageous, especially in upper management positions. The SSC has not been around more then 4 years, people leave for less pay just to leave the environment. They “try” to make focus groups to discuss work place issues but when employees state the issues at hand they are overlooked. The only way to make the shared services center successful is to terminate all senior management and start fresh.

The Shared Services Center claims to be an agency where lean principles are used to streamline operations in an environment of continuous improvement. This is a lie. The SSC operates by piling more work on less people and calling that "efficiency." If you find yourself working at SSC, you'll be expected to forget all your knowledge, expertise, and skills and just shovel transactions through the pipeline at a grueling pace.

Managers and supervisors show no interest in developing employees, and drive people to violate state regulations, while looking the other way to avoid taking blame. Employees who raise issues are ignored or told to keep quiet and quit rocking the boat. People are afraid to communicate honestly. Talented people leave and are frequently not replaced.

Great place to work
Support from staff and management is excellent.
Great school culture.
Unreasonable low salaries 
Great support from supervisors and various professional development opportunities 

Worst leadership I have experienced in my professional career.  Completely misrepresented themselves in the interview.  Little to no interest in anyone's ideas except for their own.  Little to no interaction from upper leadership with the folks with their boots on the ground.  As one of my direct reports said to me, "The Shared Services Center - The place where fun comes to die!"

In the System Office in Richmond the culture is different depending on the department. The higher up, the more perks. The building is nice. If you are seen as good they will overwork you. I  currently looking elsewhere because I can’t seem to move beyond where I was hired.

Micromanagement is rampant. No training in place. No policies or procedures are in place so rules are made up as they go and discarded when not convenient. Favoritism is apparent at work with the upper management's acquaintances outside of the workplace. Toxic employee's behaviors are encouraged instead of discouraged.

I have been here for a little over a year. The pros are the good folks to work with, and a supportive administrative group. Cons are the pay is very low in comparison to other Hampton Roads Colleges. My location luckily avoids the majority of traffic snarls that this area is known for. All in all, a positive experience!

This was my first office/hr type position and my supervisors provided plenty of opportunities to learn about the HR field and be an integral part of the team

Shared Services uses its project managers as scapegoats for its failures. They make decisions but don't provide the necessary resources, then blame the PM when things aren't completed. Literally the worst employer I've ever worked for.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Adjunct faculty 17 salaries reported	$39.59 per hour
Adjunct instructor 20 salaries reported	$37.08 per hour
Administrative assistant 25 salaries reported	$17.71 per hour
Career coach 11 salaries reported	$52,468 per year
Tutor 27 salaries reported	$16.02 per hour

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