I wish this list was short because I originally had high expectations based on the few people who had good experiences and recommended working there.
1. I was disappointed with the organization from day one. Everyone wanted to ensure you were brainwashed at the new employee orientation by repeatedly telling you how "lucky" you were to make it there because Kaiser is such a prestigious place to work. The orientation was completely disorganized with those who were supposed to give the presentations not showing up. The physical structures are very old and worn down, and you can instantly pick up that there is drama at a lot of levels within the organization.
2. Each region is very disconnected from the others, with their own rules and policies. I worked for the Diablo area in the Northern California region, and my perception from my interactions is that the Northwest region is much better (but no experience working there).
3. No local support for IT or HR, you call a call center and can waste hours waiting, valuable time that Kaiser is paying for, but doesn't care to provide efficient support.
4. Benefits are really not as great as everyone makes them out to be. I had much better benefits where I came from! PTO is accrued on a monthly anniversary date basis, so as a new employee, you're out of luck. No 401K match or contribution for new employees, only real benefits are to those who survive 5+ years and stay for the pension plans.
5. You are not valued as an individual, you are only known by who you report to and what your title is and who you brown-nose. Literally, people are talked about by discussing who they report to and who they report to, and many workarounds are taken to convey any piece of information.
6. Honest opinions are not asked for nor wanted in any manner, just keep your mouth shut and do what you're told.
7. The disorganization is present at the level of how the organization is even split into 3 companies with the foundation, physicians group, and the hospitals being separated. This causes for a lot of drama and political headaches between the 3 and no one can really focus on trying to do their job to provide good patient care.
8. As a new employee, no real structure or resources are provided. I brought my own computer to work to be able to watch training videos for my first 4 weeks on the job. They didn't even have a loaner or extra computer available for me to use. I didn't know what the deadline was in order to sign up for benefits, didn't have an email account for over a month. But they were quick to assign me a cell phone to send lengthy text messages.
Didn't we move away from the culture of always being on your cell phones during meetings and being present and contributing? Why waste everyone else's time if you're too important to listen and just want to send texts to communicate?
Incompetent managers and the culture they pass on and expect of employees is disgusting. When I asked for clarifications regarding inconsistent information my supervisor kept giving me, she told me I was challenging expectations. Promotions happen by brown-nosing, not skills. Clearly, this supervisor needed a lot of work to develop her leadership shills.
I was constantly taken advantage of as I did not have a family or children to tend to, being asked to work random hours at the drop of a hat. How would someone who had childcare be able to change schedules like that?
I was also exploited to date another employee of Kaiser (by my direct supervisor) and when I declined, the attitude shifted. I kept being asked questions about my personal life and when I wouldn't share, they would inquire with a coworker.
Don't fall for the gimmicks, do your research and if you think you can keep your head down and just do your job in spite of all of the drama around you and behind you, go for it. But trust me, there are much better companies to work for out there. Save yourself the headache and toxicity, find a better place to work.
