Not Recommended Employer - Anonymous employee CalPERS Employee Review

Non-Modern Autocratic and/or Military type of Management style dominates at all levels of management at CalPERS. Management at all levels are low-skilled, do not demonstrate professionalism or have a normal management education background or experience for their level of the position they obtained. Questionable hiring practices include “reclassifying” a favored employees position classification without requiring them to compete in “State classification” examinations. Many workers promoted or hired do not have a related college degree or meet K.S.A. job posting qualifications. Calpers does not demonstrate equal opportunity for all and is biased toward favoritism, nepotism and special interests. Hiring, training and promotion practices are often arbitrary and not equal. HR is low skilled and does not follow employment regulations. Getting another job at another State of CA agency is not easy or fast as expected. Contracted pay terms are not always honored. The employee environment can be described as bullying, retaliatory or negative. There is pervasive perfectionism, false witnessing, high production expectations. Employees are over-stressed and unhealthy. Co-workers, human resources and management all contribute to making the work environment hostile and non-team orientated. Most of the managers will be there for decades to achieve their pension, control, power or money, so the environment will not likely change for the better soon. This organization allows too much power at the Unit level management level, which appear unaccountable for their actions. This organization is not employee orientated, fair or ethical. Some workers stated it is like being in a prison and they don’t like how they hand pick people for positions. Calpers hires too many contractors/consultants who get to do the more interesting, challenging or creative work leaving the State worker with non-challenging tasks. There is an excessive management to staff ratio. The work environments tends not to be team orientated and too many are chasing the few growth career opportunities. I have many years of work experience at Calpers, a State of CA government agency with strong K.S.A.’s and not recommending employment there.