Kaiser Permanente Reviews

Pros

Love it it’s so Good

Cons

None it’s just the best

Pros

Kaiser is a great place to work and build a career over time. In my experience salaries are above market for most positions, and the benefits are so good that many people become "lifers". The health coverage is extremely generous, and time off starts off adequate and gets better over time (18 days when you start, moving up to 33 after 15+ years - this does not include sick time). Employees truly believe in the mission of KP (at least, I do) and it's clear that this is a place where employees' contributions are valued. Although my role is not part of any of the unions, the fact that our workforce is predominantly unionized also places a positive role in KP's reputation as a good place for workers (although having unionized staff also presents many challenges). Overall, I enjoy working at KP and would recommend it to others, but understand that you are entering a big bureaucracy. A friendly, mission-driven bureaucracy, but still.

Cons

Cons: having lots of "lifers" means that innovative ideas and workflows are not always adopted without a fight. People have their roles deeply embedded here, and any threat to the status quo is seen as negative, even though we need to make some pretty radical changes given the new health care environment post-ACA. There's a lot of "not my job" attitudes here. It's hard to navigate the layers of bureaucracy, both in terms of personnel/HR/benefits, and in getting work done (there are often 4-5 departments at the regional and national KP levels working on similar areas, and no guidance on who does what.) Be aware that KP is not immune to reorganizations and layoffs -- they do make a good attempt to ensure workers are hired elsewhere in the organization, but there are no guarantees, and there can be a lot of turnover in certain departments. Benefits are currently generous but are always subject to downgrades in the future, so just be aware of that. Some changes to the pension and retiree medical benefits are about to hit, and with them a wave of Baby Boomers will be taking retirement, which should hopefully open up many new management opportunities for Millennials. Oh, and the biggest con of all: we still - STILL - use Lotus Notes for email. Shocking, I know, but true.

Pros

Competitive pay, good benefits, great work environment, good hire on process. Great company to work for, Union work which is nice because union sticks up for you. But it’s hard to get a hold of the union for help.

Cons

Seniority is greater than attitude, work ethic, and experience. Kaiser keeps poor attitude employees because they’ve been there longer. It’s hard to find a position you like. You literally have to work the bottom until you land that position on top. Could be YEARS! If your interested in a position you hate.

Pros

The organization works hard and consistently to improve what it does. It has gotten great at seeking feedback from employees and implementing changes that advance the organization towards its goals. They are not afraid of change. KP changes frequently and takes risks when appropriate.

Cons

The frequent change can sometimes be tiresome. I've had a different office and building every year, and my department frequently tweaks its function.

Pros

Great benefits, job security because of the union, good pay, paid tuition by the union

Cons

Kaiser's values and mission are great, but somehow it gets disconnected at the management level. At least in my department we are overworked and management don't care. Their answer is "We should be grateful to have a job". It can be hard to move up and go to a different department even if one is qualified.

Pros

The benefits are second to none, particularly healthcare benefits which include unlimited outpatient visits, ER visits, and hospitalization for yourself and dependents as well as retirement benefits which include a 401k, Keogh, and pension. The people are friendly and overall the culture is very positive and supportive.

Cons

There is no cap on patient case loads and the demand is HIGH. You will continue to take new patients daily even if you do not have any follow-up availability for months out and it is very difficult to see a patient more frequently than once every 3 months at the most which brings up frustration for patients and physicians alike. There is not a lot of vacation time offered and it must be requested a minimum of 5 months in advance. Also, every hour of your schedule is scrupulously monitored. For example, if you generally work a 10-hour day and are off on Thanksgiving, 2 hours will be removed from your vacation time because holidays are only provided for up to 8 hours.