Q&A With UCLA Health Employees

Very poor.

Not good at all.

I work 8 hours and the vibe is casual in my office.

Hours worked are very reasonable. In fact, 8:30 to 5:00 is what I work. The vibe is ok. Not wonderful, ok.

Operates loosely as a team. Has a very flawed leader.

500/1000

Communication. There is none right now and it causes disruption and a recognition that the person is worthless, not considered worthy of being advised of something that affects their own job. And communication in all aspects. I would also get professional help in hiring. UCLA hires incompetent people all over the place. You are hired if you're mediocre at your work. You're kept at UCLA if you're mediocre. Your work colleagues cannot bear anyone to be better than they, so your work time is often unbearable. They isolate you. Their hiring is criticized by many. Within UCLA, they put a totally unqualified person in charge of a team and he does not know how to handle people. This is a money centered institution, not a patient centered one.

Improve, increase communication between leadership and all levels of employees, between departments, within departments.

It's a lucky draw. In my office, there have been four turnover in one position in 8 years. People don't last because it requires assisting three people and the money is low. They have been nasty, stupid, dishonest, jealous, one worked half a day, every day and she was supposed to work 8 hours. Nobody cared. Right now, the loveliest girl is leaving. She had been the only likable person in this position.

Because it's a State government institution, all kinds of people are employed here. Some smart, some mean, some ambitious, some stupid, some lovely, some old, some young, some untrustworthy. I have not made close friends here after many years. But I have made friends for life in other work places I have been.

Health and retirement. No parking.

Health coverage, retirement plans, generous public holidays.

Once a year for 3% called a merit raise; however, everybody gets 3% across the board (except for leadership which probably get $100,000 raises). This means we get no cost of living raise. Haven't had one for all the years I've worked here.

Raises are no more than 3% and are shameful in their frequency. They are called merit raises (even though everyone gets the same) and so there are no cost of living raises. Raises are not considered important for anyone other than leadership because their benefits package is what they sell the most. Admin staff are very poorly paid.

I look foward to it.

I look forward to it. Even on Sunday nights.

It's close to home. There are many people to interact with. I am always learning something.

Work independently.

My friend works in UCLA’s Business Grad School admissions, and they get an automatic 4% raise annually, regardless of performance.

It's friendly until you have a problem and then they totally ignore your problem I have twice been told to deal with it myself when it involved behavioral problems with a co-worker.

Telling friends I work at UCLA Health.

Never been on a team outing.

Depends on subject. We get a lot of notices about Chairs and Vice-Chancellors coming and going and we get results of surveys like this. All up I would say that we get pretty good feedback from leadership's surveys.

It's a job. It pays the rent. I don't actually do work that has a direct impact on patients or anyone really. I could leave tomorrow and someone from the float pool would take my place so how important am I? No reward from a job where I am nobody.

Reasonably well.

It has a lot of complexities as in "If this happens, then this.....or that will happen". Or "you can get family leave but after you have exhausted this leave which is only for that thing but as you're done this thing then that thing doesn't apply and you go without salary for so many days" etc etc and so forth.

Hard to know. I finish work at 5 and that's it for me. I can't speak for anyone else.

Honestly, I can't remember.

For me, it was not difficult. Two interviews at the most. Other applicants (for director, project manager, physician, physician leader, etc.) are put through a rigorous set of interviews with a number of people, perhaps 5 - 10.

Clinics in the wider community is the fastest growing dept at UCLA Health. Primary Care with clinics in far reaches of the Valley, the South Bay, Malibu, Ventura County, and around Los Angeles itself. UCLA is constantly adding new practices, primary, secondary care with referrals to UCLA for tertiary and quaternary patients. I can't accurately address difficulties.

The CEO is relatively new; however, since coming on board, several very high profile physicians have left and I believe because of her. The COO left because of the new leadership (I know from his mouth). She has radically changed UCLA Health - and undone all the wonderful work of her predecessor. She does not appear to have anything to do with anybody who is not in her inner circle. Prior CEO's walked the hospitals and clinics and spoke to all sorts of ppl - employees, patients, patients' families. They were visible and very much a part of the activities. The CEO is almost invisible to the bulk of us.

Very top heavy. A lot of disagreement. It does not operate like one company but rather each dept operates as its own company, causing friction between leadership of the Enterprise and the Chairs of the depts.

Varies. But salaries bring a lot of people down and cause a pretty consistent turnover. Lack of communication, e.g., when YOU or someone's job is changed, or you report to a different person, this is not communicated to you. You find out by coming to work and seeing someone else doing your work.

They provide the standard benefit package. Nothing that most professional employers offer.