Overall great experience compared to other health authorities. Primary care culture makes it hard to have good work-life balance. Managers in my area were very supportive and helpful

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Official response from Vancouver Coastal Health

2 August 2022

Thank you for your review. We are pleased to hear about your positive experience. Kind regards.

Good starting out job

Social Worker (on-call) (Current Employee) - Vancouver, BC - 8 May 2019

Learn basic skills as a health social worker. There is little room for growth, however, seeing as there are about 100 social workers and only two supervisors. No funding for professional development.

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Insights into Vancouver Coastal Health

Based on 29 survey responses

What people like

Ability to meet personal goals
Clear sense of purpose

Areas for improvement

Support from manager
Sense of belonging
Inclusive work environment

Very poor management with no individual or team support

Administrative Assistant (Former Employee) - Richmond, BC - 5 January 2019

Too many layers of management within one department with no one taking accountability. When they hit a glitch, they start to point fingers at others. No support from managers for their team. Too much red tape and beaucracy which frustrates patients. They say People First, but it isn't people first for patients and certainly not for employees. Under the Ministry of Health, they take millions of dollars of taxpayers money to profit in healthcare. Pay is not good for administrative staff and there is no room for promotion but only horizontal moves. Those who call under casual or temporary full-time are most disadvantaged. Mgmt only appreciate you because they are short in staff and desperately need to keep you working. Once they get what they want, you become just another employee #. I have not met one manager who actually cares about the employees after them. Young managers have power ego choosing to intimidate and bully rather than communicate in an effective way. You may say this is an exaggeration but believe me, you will only experience this throughout Richmond VCH once you are in the system. Then you become just another statistic. You will only regret it if you work for Vancouver Coastal Health. If you are, it is because you have fallen into the union umbrella and fit right into it all.

Pros

union protected

Cons

very poor management who don't support; not flexible for vacation

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Management

Clerk (Current Employee) - VGH - 16 December 2018

Working with VCH gave me a greater understanding towards assisting patient care. It gave me a general of how the system works in the hospital. I felt that there are a decent amount of opporunities toward workers who work in the industry a lot longer vs those who are very new to the company. I have been experiencing a lot of drama lately and coworkers talking behind each others back....

Pros

Good pay

Cons

Toxic coworkers with bad habits

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Great Vacation and Benefits; Poor Management Practices

Recruitment Associate (Former Employee) - Vancouver, BC - 16 December 2018

Arrive to work on-time and leave on-time. A fantastic vacation package consisting of 4-weeks to start, and fully paid benefits (deductibles present for most services). The workplace culture is poor. Management understands this is a problem however not much is done to rectify the issue. Management stated room for growth and advancement opportunities during interview process, however once you are on-board, opportunities are few and far between and given based on seniority (even in excluded environments).

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Great place to work

Nursing Unit Assistant (Current Employee) - Vancouver, BC - 23 October 2018

I started as a casual float employee at VGH and have had almost no drama at work. Majority of the people I have worked with have ranged from either pleasant to enjoyable. The work load varies from very light to very busy and most days feel quite fulfilling in terms of feeling valued and needed. The hardest part is witnessing the loss of loved ones. The most enjoyable part of the job is being surrounded by people you are happy to see every shift you work, the stories you share and the friendships you build, especially if you find the unit where you feel you most belong. The only set-back in terms or my position is that there is no real opportunity for job advancement.

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Very fun to work at!

Accounting Co-op Student (Former Employee) - Vancouver, BC - 24 September 2018

Very fun to work at! It is an engaging environment and my managers were very helpful. It is a valuable opportunity to work as a coop and full time. I really enjoyed the experience.

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Productive and fun work place

Management Consultantt (Former Employee) - Vancouver, BC - 19 August 2018

Very cooperative and considerate employees. Lots of learning opportunities. I enjoyed working in cross-functional teams with diverse backgrounds. Company culture allows lot of employee driven initiatives.

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Great Place to Work

Nursing Unit Clerk (Former Employee) - Vancouver, BC - 16 April 2018

I have been working with VCH for only a few years now, and I don't have anything negative to say. They are a great company to work for, with lots of opportunities for advancement and education.

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Used to be a great place to work before management changed for the worst

Clerk - Film Library (Former Employee) - Vancouver, BC - 14 March 2018

I used to love my job, then favoritism was brought in and everyone kept hiring people they know and would give other people opportunities. Ruined the work environment. It seems like everyone is related to everyone or were friends before VCH on every floor and unit. plus, after a while, there is no more room to grow. The benefits aren't even that great. My husband works in a bank and his benefits are better (95% coverage) and costs less.

Pros

lots of places to work

Cons

management, low pay raise, bad benefits plan, hostile work environments.

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Large organization with a small office feel

Employee Engagement (Current Employee) - Vancouver, BC - 14 March 2018

I really enjoy working and collaborating with my co-workers on a daily basis. Although VCH is a large organization, our office still maintains a small community feel, which makes coming to more enjoyable! VCH promotes a great work-life balance and provides awesome benefits :)

Pros

Work-life balance, benefits, co-workers

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Great work environment and co-workers

Employee Engagement (Current Employee) - Vancouver, BC - 14 March 2018

Fantastic place to work. Lots of work available for staff. Only problem is that the organization is quite hierarchical, which creates a lengthy approval process.

Pros

Benefits, co-workers, culture

Cons

Approval process, slow to make decisions

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Great Starter Place

Executive Assistant (Former Employee) - Vancouver, BC - 23 February 2018

I enjoyed the health background; you had a lot to learn and a lot of challenges to understand. Very busy but also very rewarding and challenging. Lots of variety.

Pros

Good Organization, flexible hours

Cons

Medical System can be difficult at times.

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Great learning environment

Medical Device Reprocessing Technician (Current Employee) - Vancouver, BC - 17 February 2018

I have enjoyed my time working for this company in the last 10 years. Working environment is comfortable and employees do their work effectively. I've learned to be vocal about my needs and wants.

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Great staff

Registered Nurse (Current Employee) - Vancouver, BC - 5 September 2017

Nice place to work with great nurses. Good stepping stone for further career development. Happy with where it has lead me, but excited to see what's next in my career

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live work place and guided suppport

Research Assistant (Volunteer) (Former Employee) - Vancouver, BC - 4 July 2017

excellent company with efficient management skills. great place to learn and enhance life and work skills. work ambiance is good along with the good work culture.

Pros

free snacks and teas

Cons

favourism

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Not good for someone who wants job security.

Registered Nurse (Former Employee) - Vancouver - 21 June 2017

Don't become their employee if you have a disability or get sick often because they will find any way to fire you. They will persecute you and interrogate you on your illness. Then they will fire you instead of supporting you to go on disability. Work for someone else!!!

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A great place to work if you're in the right atmosphere

Mental Health and Addictions Worker (Current Employee) - Vancouver, BC - 13 June 2017

I enjoy working where I do. I like that I have long-term job security, but my salary is not adequate enough to live comfortably in the Lower Mainland.

Pros

Job security

Cons

Not enough pay

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challenging management

Practice Support Lead (Former Employee) - Vancouver, BC - 12 June 2017

experience with the practice support program is perhaps not indicative of VCH as a whole. many challenges with management in this particular office, which is ultimately why i left VCH

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Poor

Administrative Assistant (Former Employee) - Richmond, BC - 26 April 2017

I came back from maternity leave to find out that i am getting laid off just because my job description was "changing". its a revolving door new managers come fire old assistants and find new ones.

Pros

benefits

Cons

micro management, lack of communication, lack of support for women and their children.

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First step towards something better

Management Student (Former Employee) - Vancouver, BC - 26 February 2017

This is the proverbial foot in the door. Although you may not be assured another position next summer if you go above and beyond what is expected of you then you can be sure you will be remembered and they will make an effort to find something for you to do.