University of Ottawa Reviews

Current Employee – been working at University of Ottawa

Pros – Good employer and good union. The wage per hour is great, but the hours allocated per contract are very limited.

Cons – Again, the wage is high but the allocated hours are few. The work also comes in waves, so there are very busy times all of a sudden.

Former Employee – worked at University of Ottawa full-time for more than 7 years

Pros – Fascinating work with highly educated and motivated people. The benefits are fantastic including access to fitness facilities, tuition benefit for yourself and dependents, medical plan with 100% prescription coverage, Christmas break shut down in addition to vacation time etc...

Cons – The salaries are very low as compared to other employers.
While the majority of people were fantastic to work with there were a strong contingent who had graduated from there and have spent their entire careers there with no outside experience. Those individuals have moved up the chain together and are inhibiting true growth and progress due to lack of a broader perspective. The phrase "we've always done it this way" should be a red flag for upper management but in this case they make up a significant portion of the upper management.

Advice to Senior Management – Shake up your management especially in the IT group. The "yes" people who tell you what you want to hear are not the people that you need on board.
Take action to forge a better relationship between the faculties and equally with the services.
Revisit your hiring practices to allow management to hire the best fit rather than just whomever has the highest seniority. You want to be change makers but your current hiring practices often prevent you from bringing in the talent you need to do that.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at University of Ottawa

Pros – Great colleagues and manager. Flexible hours if you are studying at the same time. Extra hours often available.

Cons – Pay was not always on time

Current Employee – been working at University of Ottawa full-time for more than 10 years

Pros – Stable - mostly, rarely is anyone ever laid off.

Cons – poor advancement opportunities - unless politically connected.

Advice to Senior Management – I think many of the management are self-serving and lack client focus ( students are the clients).

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at University of Ottawa full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – Good benefits and easy to move up.

Cons – No bonuses given and raise are never big

Advice to Senior Management – Good in general

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at University of Ottawa as a contractor for more than a year

Pros – Great flexibility of tasks, autonomy and role. You have the opportunity to work on many projects outside your job description if you show an interest.

Cons – Too many employees are French only, discouraging to Canadians. A lot of red tape decisions even for the smallest approval of procurement or sourcing.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at University of Ottawa part-time for more than 7 years

Pros – Good facilities for teaching, including WiFI and wired classroom. Good student body, that seems engaged.

Cons – The administration seems to take professors, especially part-time professors for granted. They expect the part-time professors to do much organization and scheduling and do not seem to respect that these individuals have full-time jobs. As a whole, the administration seems to favour French as the language of choice so English speaking profs seem at a disadvantage. The reliance on web based email is also frustrating.

Current Employee – been working at University of Ottawa full-time for more than 7 years

Pros – The bilingualism, location, and good learning experience and environment, great colleagues.

Cons – Bililingualism can pose challenges sometimes..

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at University of Ottawa full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – Centrally located, Decent physical facilities, opportunity to learn English or French as a second language

Cons – Biligualism acts as an obstacle for professional growth. Most gatekeeper staff is French and despite their ability to help everyone, response time is slower if you can't communicate with them in French.

Advice to Senior Management – Consider the need for bilingualism on a case-by-case basis.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at University of Ottawa full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – Good salary and remuneration package

Cons – Poor culture and management .Not a good multicultural environment

Advice to Senior Management – Multicultural experience and encourage mentorship