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    Kaiser Permanente Reviews

    Updated 25 May, 2017
    4,157 reviews

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    Full-time Part-time
    3.8
    Star Star Star Star Star
    Rating Trends Rating Trends
    Recommend to a friend
    Approve of CEO
    Kaiser Permanente Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bernard J. Tyson
    Bernard J. Tyson
    1,364 Ratings

    4,157 Employee Reviews

    Sort: Popular Rating Date
    Pros

    • Mission driven; believe in work-life balance; you can change your career many times still within the same organization (in 309 reviews)

    • Transparent about pay and benefits (in 173 reviews)

    Cons
    More Pros and Cons

    1. Helpful (242)

      "Great benefits, job security, but the usual bureaucracy"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Program Manager in Portland, OR (US)
      Current Employee - Program Manager in Portland, OR (US)
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook

      I have been working at Kaiser Permanente full-time (More than 3 years)

      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.

      Advice to Management

      Embrace technology, trust your employees, improve senior leadership communication with front-line staff.

    2. Helpful (1)

      "Mission-driven organization, passionate employees, patient-centered, 21st century care delivery"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in Oakland, CA (US)
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in Oakland, CA (US)
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I worked at Kaiser Permanente full-time (More than 8 years)

      Pros

      70-year-old company, $65 billion in revenue, 11.3 million members, 38 hospitals, 600+ medical offices.
      One of the largest and most respected integrated health care systems in the US (and in the world).
      One of the first health systems to implement a 100% electronic medical record system Leverages digital and mobile technologies to make it convenient for members and patients.
      A CEO who worked his way up in the organization over a 30-year career. He inspires confidence from employees and leadership by clearly understanding the organizations' strengths and weaknesses.
      Competitive salaries, generous health/dental insurance benefits, pension and 401K, and PTO & sick time accrual.

      Cons

      With a company with almost 200,000 employees (both employees and contractors), it can sometimes feel "you are a small cog in a big machine".
      Like most companies of this size and scale, the speed of decision-making and go to market strategies, and bureaucracy & politics can be frustrating.
      The lack of a multi-generational workforce due attracting & retaining early career professionals creates a monolithic culture.

      Advice to Management

      Continue to focus on creating a more inclusive, multi-generational workforce culture that encourages and values alternative, divergent perspectives.
      KP's greatest asset is its people. The tens of thousands of front-line workers, nurses, doctors, professionals, and contractors truly care about making difference and meaningful contribution to the organization's mission and vision.
      Value their commitment and dedication, engage them in improving the care and service delivered to patients and members, invest in their development, and never lose sight of KP's mission to provide high-quality, affordable healthcare.

    3. "Great Company to work for"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee

      I have been working at Kaiser Permanente full-time

      Pros

      Very Good salary and generous benefits

      Cons

      Has Poor work life balance

      Advice to Management

      Be cognizant of lower level employees

      4. Is this helpful? The community relies on everyone sharing – Add Anonymous Review

    4. "very good benefits"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee

      I have been working at Kaiser Permanente full-time

      Pros

      flexible , fair and very good salaries

      Cons

      union seniority rules in most everything, need more performance based incentives

    5. "Finance Strategy & Management"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Sales Associate in Oakland, CA (US)
      Former Employee - Sales Associate in Oakland, CA (US)
      Recommends
      Neutral Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I worked at Kaiser Permanente part-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      1. There is a lot of different work so KP is a place where you can truly learn.
      2. The people you work with are smart and quite efficient. This can be a really great thing.
      3. You get to contribute to a larger issue (healthcare) and if you keep that in sight, work can be very enjoyable.
      4. Salary is competitive.

      Cons

      1. Office Politics
      2. Passive Aggression

      Advice to Management

      1. Creating a more collaborative environments by opening opportunities for KP employees to work cross-functionally will enable workers to become smarter while also adding value to KP.

    6. "assistant nurse manager"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Interim Nursing Leadership in Redwood City, CA (US)
      Former Employee - Interim Nursing Leadership in Redwood City, CA (US)
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      Pros

      excellent leadership team, investing in community

      Cons

      none identified, use of travelers vs permanent staff

      Advice to Management

      keep hiring excellent employees, rely less on travelers

    7. "rn"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Staff RN in Walnut Creek, CA (US)
      Former Employee - Staff RN in Walnut Creek, CA (US)
      Recommends
      Neutral Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I worked at Kaiser Permanente (More than 3 years)

      Pros

      good pay, benefits, job security and access

      Cons

      not flexible schedule, template, union run

      Advice to Management

      union

    8. "Awesome"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Clinical Laboratory Scientist in Los Angeles, CA (US)
      Current Employee - Clinical Laboratory Scientist in Los Angeles, CA (US)
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Kaiser Permanente full-time (Less than a year)

      Pros

      Benefits are amazing, free healthcare and dental. Kaiser probably has the highest pay for CLS in California and in the US. Pension also, you cant go wrong there. Plus they give bonus when you do not call in sick for a certain number of days.

      Cons

      Unionized so seniority is always priority so better start when you are younger so you can gain seniority. Very strict with attendance and punctuality, although thats not really a con to some people.

    9. "Project Manager II"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Project Manager II in Irvine, CA (US)
      Current Employee - Project Manager II in Irvine, CA (US)
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Kaiser Permanente full-time

      Pros

      Great teamwork, positive culture, supportive

      Cons

      Workload, poor work life balance

    10. "none"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee

      Pros

      Great place to work at.

      Cons

      Not many cons. Wish salary ranges were more transparent.

      Advice to Management

      none

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