Service Alternatives Reviews

-Poor compensation and little career growth/advancement opportunities depending on the program -Unclear expectations from management, resulting in mixed messages and shoddy support -Major corners were cut in my training. Management signed off on crucial tasks I was supposed to learn without me actually learning them. This caused me to feel unprepared and sullied my confidence in some aspects of the job. -It often felt like management was pushing for contracts in order to fulfill budget needs and did not consider client needs simultaneously. I understand that programs need money in order to function and grow, but that should never take priority over delivering client care and ensuring that clients' needs are being met. I often heard management emphasize the client as a dollar value before discussing the client as a person.

The biggest problem at Service Alternatives is their inability to hire and retain quality staff at the direct service level in particular. This in part has to do with state reimbursement, but also with practices that may not support retention and quality. Though the agency espouse being values-based, there are many misalignments. The agency states that it values its staff, but practices are often not consistent with valuing employees. Aside from the wages and salaries, there is often a top-down leadership style that de-values employees. There is often little interest in soliciting feedback from staff and many staff feel undervalued. For example, I was not offered an exit interview, in spite of the fact that this was an agency practice. When I requested such an interview, no one chose to respond to my request. Even more concerning are the agency’s practices around older and more experienced staff. I have seen a number of older employees getting forced out of their jobs/employment for reasons that are suspect.