Unhealthy Work Environment - werkgeversreview Anonieme werknemer bij Calgary Humane Society

People are great to work with sometimes, first hand taking care of animals

- You can’t say anything that’s bothering without fearing consequences: just in the past months multiple people either resign or got fired without a cause - Extreme low pay (minimum wage) which is inhumane for the amount of work that’s on your shoulders while supervisors, managers and directors pretend to care by saying: let me know if i can help you- but when you ask for help they are nowhere to be seen. - Supervisors from Animal care are just wondering around between offices while their employees are sweating and working really hard for a joke pay - Upper decisions of what animal gets euthanized based on behavioral concerns is not consistent or not justified in some cases, while there’s an actual animal that qualifies for it and it’s giving “opportunity”- gets “adopted” and then RETURNED to then ending in a euthanized, so just prolonging suffering and setting the animal for failure - They say you can grow in the company but the truth is you will only do that if you are good friends with the hiring manager - You will see some people under qualified having upper positions for sure - I feel sorry for the animal care team, in just this year their employee turnover is awful - admissions team does not have common sense and keeps filling up the shelter under poor management - Did i say low pay?

Floor level staff at this organization are typically very competent and create a good working environment.

- There is a very clear divide in the building between “upstairs” and “downstairs” staff. Administrative roles and upper management work upstairs and often do not maintain a complete or current understanding of shelter operations despite being responsible for their oversight. - CHS has a significant leadership problem that starts from the top. The ED appears to have curated a team of Directors who are often young and inexperienced, but appear to be chosen based on their willingness to say “yes” even if it is not truly in the best interest of their staff or animals and/or due to personal relationships. This has resulted in Directors overseeing departments in which they do not have first hand experience, knowledge or education. - Turn over for staff is very high. This is, in part, due to low wages, but more significantly is due to the way that staff are treated by Directors. Staff have been punished for advocating for animals when that advocacy does not align with the views of the Director team. - Senior staff/Management are well known to play favorites based on who they like. This has resulted in some staff being given countless chances despite poor performance while other staff are heavily criticized for very minor mistakes. - You will be told that there is an open door policy but floor level staff do not trust Directors and avoid speaking up for fear of punishment. - Floor level staff have often been made to feel uncomfortable for providing opinions or feedback related to internal processes or animal pathways. - Employee surveys are filled out each year to allow staff to give feedback on management but this feedback is not well received and when feedback was bad it resulted in criticism of the staff providing the feedback. Staff are often also reluctant to provide meaningful feedback as they do not trust that the surveys are actually anonymous. - Working at an animal shelter is a difficult job and the actions of Directors for this organization have created additional stress for staff, contributed to a workspace that feels unsafe and unstable, and resulted in multiple competent and dedicated staff members leaving the organization.