Pros
The VNA mission is a pro and most employees are connected to and motivated by it. The company is growing through acquisitions and theoretically that means there are opportunities to grow your career. The VNA provides a wide range of health programs and services and if you are self-directed, motivated and are well liked, you can explore different disciplines to determine what you enjoy most. The tuition reimbursement benefit is generous, especially for employees who want to advance their education in health-related fields.
Cons
The pay is below average for most rank and file employees except for top management who do really well (check VNA’s 990). Top management appears to promote a culture that devalues a work-life balance. Employees who have an exempt status will quickly get sucked into working many more hours than contracted for, reducing your compensation even further. It is evident by the number of emails you get from senior management and colleagues at all hours and weekends and visible signs of your colleagues who are just stressed out. Nurses and per-diem clinicians fare a little better but there is always a shortage of clinicians to meet demand and greater pressure on them to see more patients. Instead, top management has this obsessive focus on metrics, employee engagement and the annual Gallup employee poll. Yet, there seems to be little effort by top management to addresses stressed-out and over-worked employees, except hosting an ice-cream social every once-in-a-while. Also, nepotism is rampant for senior-level positions and often job candidates are brought in for interviews just as a formality, a big waste of everyone’s time.