Turnover is increasing due to poor management - Licensed Clinical Social Worker LCSW UCSF Health Employee Review

1.0
23 Jun 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

UCSF has a good reputation, so working here looks good on a resume and will help you get your next job. Some of the doctors and most of the nurses are extremely dedicated and truly care about their patients. For career (not per diem) staff, there's a pension and lots of other benefits. For LCSW, pay is really high compared to other SF jobs.

Cons

Morale is low. The pediatric social work department is constantly understaffed, with increasing turnover. Positions have been open for months and management refuses to consider remote work. Meanwhile there is a steady stream of employees leaving for jobs where they can work hybrid or remotely. Across service lines and multiple departments, there is a complete lack of transparency. Management operates based on favoritism. Promotion is based on who you know, not merit. Some people work much harder than others, but are rarely recognized. Unionized jobs means ineffective people stay for years, while good workers get frustrated and leave. The culture is very white, very "nice," and very passive aggressive. Those who don't fit in to this culture are either excluded or targeted. There is a lot of talk about "patient care" but hardly any social work department funds actually go to meet the real needs of patients and families. There are award ceremonies every year where prizes for "social justice" work are distributed. Meanwhile there’s never enough money in the budget for meal cards, hotel vouchers, or parking stickers. Social workers are told to "conserve resources." Parents of pediatric patients are sleeping in their cars and living off free snack bags. Management does not work with the development office to get more funds for families of sick kids. Social workers in pediatrics are risk-averse and territorial, always trying to protect themselves at the expense of colleagues and clients. Many staff at BCH have only ever worked at UCSF, so they don't realize that there are better ways to do things. Or maybe this is their last job - a lot are "lifers" with no motivation to improve because they are just counting down til retirement. Even those who are willing to try something new or different are scared to speak up because they want to keep their jobs. When there are problems managers don't advocate for workers; they will throw any employee under the bus to preserve themselves.

Explore other reviews about UCSF Health

5.0
22 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Opportunities to learn new skills. My team is excellent.

Cons

New leadership models prioritize profit over employee well-being. They are starting to thin out our staffing more and more. Morale is very low right now on our unit ...

1.0
6 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The people that work at UCSF are some of the most intelligent analysts I've ever worked with in 15 years of Health IT. Most are ex-Epic employees with strong backgrounds in project managament and IT,

Cons

UCSF recently decided to reclassify all remote employees as "Felxible" without their input or permission. As a result, employees must now travel to the office WITHOUT expenses paid. This means that flights, hotels, etc. are NOT reimbursed and are paid by the employee. UCSF has not answered to what problem they are trying to solve with this, and refuses to answer how this action aligns with goals such as sustainability (carbon emissions), equity (women and disabled are more impacted by eliminating remote work), working accommodating (UCSF does not have the physical space for all of the Clinical Systems department to be on site. There is no locked storage or accessible workspaces.), safety (there is no shuttle for UCSF to all locations that have been mentioned for work). UCSF limits employee growth, by eliminating actual promotions with "role based work". In other words, you have to do more work without compensation for it. They have also completely reneged on remote management, meaning that most employees are now at a dead end.

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