Unpaid work, lack of support, racism - Clinician The Reading Foundation Employee Review

The reviews you see posted are not at all indicative of the way most clinicians actually feel about working here (at least in Calgary) and are more than likely curated. More than once I have heard other staff at the clinic remark that they "can't believe there aren't more bad ratings on glassdoor." Morale amongst clinicians (not team leaders or management) is generally very low, a condition that undoubtedly stems from the daily unpaid work we undertake, the lack of support in regards to difficult students, and the lack of meaningful breaks in a day (they are short and filled with unpaid work). Management would likely deny this, but in my time here, they have never reached out to clinicians offering an anonymous forum in which any kind of feedback could be submitted. The low morale is also tangibly demonstrated in the extraordinarily high turnover rate - most hires leave after less than a year, and many do not even last a whole summer. The Reading Foundation is notorious for making its hourly employees undertake unpaid work. Almost everyday you will do at least 0.5 hrs of unpaid work - which at $20/hr results in a $2,400 loss in wages every year. They make sure that what they do is not technically illegal, but this nevertheless contributes to low morale. On occasion, when processing payroll, management has been known to "shift" staff members' overtime hours to different days, so that they don't have to compensate this time at the proper overtime rate. This was, of course, done without consulting said staff members. If you choose to work their extra-clinical programs that take place in a country club or a correctional facility, there will be even more prep/travel time that you will not be paid for. There is very little support and training opportunities offered for dealing with difficult students, and there are very few paid opportunities for you to collaborate with fellow clinicians. Maybe one rushed staff meeting a month. Finally, there was an unsavoury incident a few years ago in which a very prominent member of upper management confronted a group of Arabic-speaking staff, reminding them that, "In Canada we speak English," resulting in a wave of resignations. Of course, this member of upper management still works here. Management would likely deny this, but there are many of us who remember it well. If you don't care to be fairly compensated for the work you do, and are placated by empty platitudes that expound upon the meaningful work you do, this just might be the job for you.