working at the state felt bureaucratic and involved too many levels of the management chain to get something simple done. It wasn't hard work as long as you do what is required of you.

Pros

great work life balance

Cons

you need years of experience to make good money there

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Great job

seasonal temp driver (Current Employee) - Ebensburg, PA - January 25, 2023

I'm seasonal temp worker but they really help you any way they can. You drive plow truck when needed, other times you are flagging, washing trucks for service, up keep of roads, sheds.

Pros

not back breaking work

Cons

weather but no can change that

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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania insights

Based on 485 survey responses

What people like

Clear sense of purpose

Areas for improvement

Trust in colleagues
Overall satisfaction
Energizing work tasks

I love my role but management needs an overhaul

Psychological Services Specialist (Current Employee) - Torrance State Hospital - January 25, 2023

Working for the state definitely has its advantages. The benefits and PTO packages are very generous. You have both annual and sick time off (which can be used for medical appointments). The schedule is rigid but not horrible. There is no flexibility in scheduling. Out of service trainings are easy to obtain. Speaking for psychology across the hospital, a major overhaul needs to occur. The department is struggling to maintain staff long-term because of this management style and general lack of investment/attention in/to its employees. There is also nowhere to advance to.

Pros

Benefits/PTO, great coworkers

Cons

Management/leadership

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Data

Clerk (Current Employee) - Harrisburg, PA - January 18, 2023

Data Mi consejo sería que cumplan con su palabra y no prometan horas y días diciendo que van a tenerte trabajando todos los días a la semana para luego tenerte 16 días libres y como mucho solo brindarte 3 a 4 días de trabajo al mes, es super decepcionante trabajar con ustedes y nadie te ayuda nisiquiera el postmastes, ni la unión, no los supervisores hacen nada por darte horas ni días.. Así que lo mejor es no escoger este trabajo ya que no te ayuda a crecer laboral mente ni a general dinero para tu diario vivir ni para ahorrar

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productive

Front Desk Receptionist (Former Employee) - San Francisco Bay Area, CA - January 11, 2023

fun to work great co workers. would work here again but needed to move across the country. benefits were okay. the pay was average. great environment of course

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OK place to work but working for the state can wear you down

Business Manager (Current Employee) - Harrisburg, PA - January 11, 2023

I came to DEP from "the outside" (what we call people who previously did not work in state government) and it was quite the culture shock. Within the first week I was told I needed to "slow down" because my boss was going to run out of work to give me. That was true for a while until I gradually was given more responsibilities above my pay grade to keep me busy.Good benefits in terms of PTO (you get annual leave and separate sick time as well as extra holidays you wouldn't normally get in the private sector). Other benefits are okay but not as good as they used to be. Older folks at the state that have been there for a while have a very good pension, which helped to make up for the lower pay and measly, borderline-insulting "cost of living" raises which don't even match up to inflation rates. Great work life balance... normally only have to work 37.5 hours a week, sometimes a bit more if absolutely necessary. The experience you have depends on the agency you are at and the management. The upper level management at DEP the has been awful. I love my Bureau Director, but upper level management is out of touch and makes everyone's lives more difficult. This would apply to all other agencies, too.In addition, there are a LOT of rules at the state and many processes seem to be made much more difficult than necessary. They preach "LEAN" and yet if you have a suggestion to make things run smoother or more efficiently, your suggestion is ignored. There is a lot of time wasted at the state, many times beyond the employees' immediate control due to ridiculous policies. This is the -

Pros

Work Life Balance; Ability to take PTO/sick time easily

Cons

Management doesn't listen, Policies and SOP's often prevent us from doing our jobs efficiently, Pay is not competitive enough

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Poor management

LPN (Former Employee) - Pennsylvania - January 9, 2023

Do not work here unless you just are looking for benefits. Nurses here work alone majority of the time. Supervisors try to help which is good but administration is terrible. The scheduling is terrible. They expect you to know everything even if you are new. There is no leadership here that cares or tries to help. Coworkers are good.

Pros

Benefits

Cons

Short staff, admin does not care, poor leadership, poor scheduling

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Very nice working environment

Residential Services Aid Trainee (Former Employee) - Pennsylvania - December 31, 2022

A great place to work. Everybody is great to work with. Staff and patients. I loved working there. The best job I ever had so far. I stayed a good 6 years.

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5 stars

Toll Booth Operator (Former Employee) - anywhere from the Ohio Gateway to M5 near West Virginia - December 30, 2022

What is the best part of working at the company?Working with some really great people from all over the State.What is the most stressful part about working at the company?Some of the customers were bitter over the cost of the Turnpike and they vented on the collectors.What is the work environment and culture like at the company?sometimes the weather was terrible, and we had to travel long distances for the different interchanges, and we worked forced double shifts.What is a typical day like for you at the company?start your shift counting your drawer, getting paperwork and making sure to help any of the customers that were lost or had vehicle problems.

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There are many occupations within State Government. The hiring process can be slow, but it's designed for fairness, which I like.

Human Services Program Specialist (Current Employee) - Harrisburg, PA - December 21, 2022

Many different occupations exist working for the Commonwealth. The benefits and retirement plans "keep you there", but there seems to be a lot of "catiness" between Labor and Management, but probably not more so than other work environments.

Pros

Health Care, time off after three years, government holidays

Cons

some occupations there is way too much to do, some not enough.

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Family orient

Correctional Officer (Current Employee) - Collegeville, PA - December 19, 2022

Great place too work. Easy flow. Training was excellent. Money and benefits are excellent. Monthly training. Plenty of overtime if you want it. My dream job.

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Just don't work for the CAOs in Philadelphia

Income Maintenance Caseworker (Current Employee) - Philadelphia, PA - December 19, 2022

There is no opportunity for growth at this place. Income is not great for the amount of work needed to be done. Work culture is really bad. Union is not really helpful to workers, even though they want you to pay union dues or they will not help you with issues on the job.

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Stable Work

Income Maintenance Caseworker (Former Employee) - Philadelphia, PA - December 14, 2022

Good benefits, lots of work to keep you busy, great job security. There’s a lack of available of positions to advance to. Toxic work environments, lots of gossip and petty behavior within co workers and management.

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4 stars

Clerk Typist 2 (Current Employee) - Philadelphia, PA - December 13, 2022

What is the best part of working at the company?Benefits, like paid time off.What is the most stressful part about working at the company?Working under a certain personality that is power madWhat is the work environment and culture like at the company?Stiff, threatening, fake What is a typical day like for you at the company?Routine, up to you what you make of it.

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5 stars

Labor Relations Specialist (Current Employee) - Harrisburg, PA - December 7, 2022

What is the best part of working at the company?Retirement What is the most stressful part about working at the company?People that don’t like to follow rules What is the work environment and culture like at the company?It is good What is a typical day like for you at the company?Very busy when doing Labor Relations

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3 stars

Income Maintenance Caseworker (Current Employee) - East Liberty, PA - November 29, 2022

What is the best part of working at the company?Holidays, nights off, weekends offWhat is the most stressful part about working at the company?Don't get to take breaks and lunches. Barely get to drink water or use the bathroom.What is the work environment and culture like at the company?Coworkers are nice. Company is poorly managed

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Horrible

Registry Specialist (Current Employee) - Harrisburg, PA - November 27, 2022

Raises are few and far between. There isn't any growth. Impossible to live on salary and they don't care. Wouldn't recommend unless you are hired through union.

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5 stars

correctional officer Sci Phoenix (Former Employee) - Collegeville, PA - November 18, 2022

What is the best part of working at the company?Benefits and the payWhat is the most stressful part about working at the company?Being locked in a institutional setting What is the work environment and culture like at the company?Work environment varies your working in a prison What is a typical day like for you at the company?Good but at times it can be Overwhelming

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State job, great benefits

Caseworker (Former Employee) - Norristown, PA - November 15, 2022

great job, pay is not the best Must be willing to put in the work and get things completed timely and you will do great and other opportunities will open

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Micromanagement, no room to grow

Income Maintenance Caseworker (Former Employee) - 1931 New Hope St - November 13, 2022

If you’re friends with a supervisor, you’re free to roam and waste time, while your workload is distributed to the rest of your team. If you’re a hard worker, fast, efficient and know policy, your supervisor will have you doing other people’s work on top of your workload. You will not be commended for the good work you do, but instead will be micromanage via a barrage of emails about the very things you do efficiently on your own every day.Promotions are given to those next in line whether or not they are the best person for the job or have good people skills, so good luck getting a promotion any time soon!The Diversity policy needs to apply to how management is chosen. It’s very disappointing to have no representation!The only fulfillment the job provides is the grateful clients- their sigh of relief.

Pros

Time off

Cons

Archaic Management that lack diversity, absolutely miserable and stifling atmosphere

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5 stars

Seasonal Employee (Former Employee) - Somerset, PA - November 9, 2022

What is the best part of working at the company?I loved everything about working with this company. One of the best jobs I ever had. What is the most stressful part about working at the company?It wasn’t so much stressful, but some days it was really hard work. What is a typical day like for you at the company?Everyday was different, we had different jobs and places we worked almost everyday.

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