Pros
There are many people who work at Providence who embody the Core Values. They care about their patients and their teammates and providing excellent care to our patients. The medical/dental/STD/LTD benefits are excellent and substantially subsidized or free. There is a sense of pride about the organization's heritage, and the legacy of the Sisters of Providence.
Cons
Where to begin? It's doubtful that I will stay based on limited promotional opportunities and the current HR leadership. Employee engagement is suffering. You can do all the employee surveys you want, but if you don't walk the talk and provide effective leadership, opportunities for advancement, and a positive work environment, you can't blame people for leaving. The organization has horrible systems integration, and getting a new hire up and running on basic items such as computer equipment, passwords, systems access and training is an exercise in frustration. While I can appreciate that huge organizations have complex needs, other huge organizations seem to manage to put together systems and infrastructure that actually work well. Now that Providence has merged with St. Joseph, I can only imagine that it will get worse. We do not provide a friendly, welcoming experience for our new caregivers. Leadership training is non-existent. Purportedly, DDI is coming back to Providence. Again. I hope that opportunities for leadership development will extend down to the mid-level manager ranks because they get nothing at the moment. Large organizations have a hard time being nimble, and Providence is not encouraging of new ideas, out of the box thinking, creativity nor best practices. This is particularly true of the HR organization, which is mired in 1950's style HR practices and thinking. It's non-strategic and stodgy. Salaries are low. Paid time off benefits are sub-par. This is an organization at a crossroads. Healthcare is a rapidly changing environment, and I understand that we need to be competitive. But what has made Providence great in the past is in peril. Is it too much to ask to lose the Swedish executive team that now runs the place? Probably. Cultures and companies change, not always for the better. My hope is that we won't lose sight of what made Providence an excellent organization for many years. I want to be proud of where I work, proud that I'm supporting policies that support our values and proud of our leadership team. I don't feel that way any more, and I'm not alone in this perspective.