Pros
Good starting pay Nice campus Discounted bus fares Access to recreational facilities at a cost
Cons
Lengthy hiring process -Can take upwards of 2-3 months No structured training for the various systems and processes in place. Departments work in a very independent manner, often times enacting policies and processes that conflict with one another. Benefits - Health insurance is extremely expensive - No paid maternity/paternity leave - 5 year vested interest or you lose all funds paid into the retirement fund - No matching on 403b, 457 or UC savings plan Office morale - Having worked in two different offices within UCLA's Murphy Hall (both offices dedicated to serving the student population), there is no sense of employee appreciation by the various levels of management. The office I currently work for is very divisive and cold. There is no sense of unity or support from management. Favoritism is rampant in this particular department and there is a systematic effort by the management team to draw lines between the units, thus making it difficult to collaborate on projects. Having to use personal vacation time/comp time and/or leave without pay during mandatory winter campus closure Employees are provided with access to Staff&Faculty Counseling. However, in my experience with Staff&Faculty Counseling (and my experience has been rather extensive) the counselors I have had are extremely ineffective and demoralizing. Despite expressing legitimate concerns about discrimination, the counselor at Staff&Faculty Counseling simply said "well, maybe you should think about finding a new job." Despite UCLA advocating for progressive legislation, advancing medical research, and calling for the protection of the rights and privileges of individuals, UCLA as an employer operates in a very backwards manner.