Great team and support - PCA/HHA Selfhelp Community Services, Inc. Employee Review

Great Great Great not bad

Not so bad, I'll stay on

Benefits are okay, and coworkers are awesome.

The pay is insanely low for the amount of stress and responsibility involved. Around $50K a year comes out to roughly $3K a month, which is not realistic in New York City when even a small studio can cost around $2K. It is very difficult to survive on this salary. The work environment is also heavily micromanaged, with strict cellphone rules, break restrictions, and rigid policies that often make it hard to actually help clients. Many of the elderly clients are difficult to work with, and the burden often falls on the worker even when the issue is caused by the client forgetting information, not hearing properly, or misunderstanding instructions. There is also a constant fear of being reported to managers or the Department for the Aging over minor things, such as not smiling enough or not speaking softly enough. Some clients can be rude or inappropriate, including making racist or offensive comments or personal remarks about appearance. While there are some kind clients, they are not the norm in my experience. Overall, I would not recommend working here unless you have a very high level of patience, genuinely enjoy working with elderly people, and can tolerate low pay, strict management, and a stressful client-facing environment.