Affiliated Computer Services Reviews in Austin, TX Area

Pros

The ability to learn how Texas Medicaid program works for both clients and providers.
The ability to take time off as needed with short notice

Cons

There is not any communication between leadership and the employees.
They constantly state how the company is financially struggling so they are unable to give pay increases but we receive emails stating how well the company is doing.
There really is not any room for advancement if you are not in a suck up.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to your employees suggestions.
Open the lines of communications

Pros

* Online professional development resources were available to employees.
* There was a good attempt at implementing employee recognition programs.
* The call center seemed successful at meeting contract requirements for customer service.

Cons

* In general, employees and managers behaved (in actions, speech, dress) unprofessionally (at times, unethically) and espoused very low standards of accountability.
* There was an adversarial attitude toward state stakeholders. (These customers were usually regarded with disdain and overtly criticized.)
* There were managers who blatantly showed very little respect for their employees--even in business meetings.
* Nepotism was widespread.
* Performance evaluation was not valued; instead it was regarded as a joke by employees and managers alike.
* Employee morale was extremely low.
* Communication about compensation cuts was terribly executed.
* Holiday policy was quite insensitive.

Advice to Senior Management

* Hold your employees (at all ranks--even/especially managers) to a high degree of accountability.
* Quickly and firmly resolve the big problem of under-performance at all ranks.
* Make customer service a top priority, especially with state stakeholders--who are your biggest contracts.
* Consider work attitude as a significant factor in performance and truly reward excellent performance.
* Practice showing integrity--say what you mean and mean what you say. And, just as (if not more) importantly---deliver on your word!

Here is something practical and concrete you can implement immediately:
For performance evaluation of managers, have an official process whereby the evaluation must include input from that manager's employees. It makes sense for the subordinates to speak to the manager's strengths and weaknesses as a manager.

Pros

It's worthy to provide debit cards for goverment benefits for those without bank accounts. Most people are competent to great, and hard working. I got peer awards for teamwork.

Cons

Almost everything about the company is bad. ACS, and then its owner Xerox, has had increasing revenue and profits. I would have needed a 25% pay raise to get the market average for Austin. Salary freezes for years. Mandatory unpaid leave, effectively a 4% pay cut, and once it was announced that it was being lifted but was retracted at the last moment. No 401(k) matching. Not enough hiring (cause, meet effect), so there are overworked people. Schedules are apparently driven by sales people promising the moon on a too-tight schedule. Some people wanted to get market-leading software but were shot down because it would cost money (any money), but now massive amounts are being spent on an IBM product. Outsouring much work to Tianjin China is not working well, not just because the interface is bad, but also because ACS is too cheap even there, so they're getting inexperienced people who stay long enough to get resume time and then bolt thanks to the hot job market. They don't even give severance pay: instead, it's unemployment topoff pay, where they pay your salary minus state unemployment benefits.

Advice to Senior Management

Replace yourselves with real human beings who will treat employees with respect and reward them at least at the local average, and who will make good business decisions.

Pros

They pay great compared with other companies.
Projects are interesting.
Coworkers are nice and immediate managers are good bosses

Cons

Upper management seems to live in an ivory tower and their mistakes translate into no 401k match and furlough days.
Only 10 days of vacation and 4 floating holidays.
Working with state governments can be a pain.

Advice to Senior Management

Actually read the results of employee surveys. Why bother with the survey if you don't read it?
Your job should be to remove roadblocks for employees to get work done and complete projects on time. Don't be the one to create roadblocks.

Pros

Salaries are average
Good opportunities to develop skills in areas such as ISO, ITIL and quality standards
Some training opportunities for some employees

Cons

Offshoring is a joke, its murdering the service to customers and causing even more work for onshore staff
Promotions without compensation is the norm, unless you're already at least in middle management

Advice to Senior Management

Start recognising excellent work. Stop pursuing ideas/concepts that aren't working. Stop treating employees as numbers, treat them like people and recognize that while you can hire people for cheaper offshore, the quality of work will also be cheaper.

Pros

Learn about Medicaid programs. Many employees can telecommute.

Cons

Management keeps staff in dark about performance, budgets, plans for the future, layoffs, contract changes with state client. You have to provide your own office supplies-pens, pads, You get moved around a lot. There is no sense that management cares about employees-throw away staff. No financial investment in staff. No company picnics or sponsored events. Computer based training is only avenue for professional education. Corporate culture is non existent. Raises are rarely given. Expect salary cuts. No employer match on 401K.

Advice to Senior Management

Invest in staff. Share good and bad news with staff so that they can make plans for their lives instead of keeping them in the dark and laying people off when they least expect it.

Pros

Some very bright and knowledgeable employees with decades of experience in health information processing systems and call center operations. Great relationships with business partners and customers. Recently renewed contract as claims administrator for the Texas Medicaid program. Exposure to all facets of health benefits administration, provider relations, managed care, and other facets of health information management.

Cons

Low salaries for exempt professionals, even those with many years of service. Promotions to positions of greater responsibility often result in no change in compensation. There is no structured system for professional development and advancement for employees seeking a career path with the company. Benefits are very poor when compared to peer companies. The operating budget is extremely lean (e.g., employees provide their own office supplies). Needless to say, employee morale is low.

Advice to Senior Management

Pursue creative ways to reward dedicated, high-performing employees even when merit raises are not possible due to budget constraints. Comp time off, flexible scheduling, telecommuting, and other options cost very little but can buy loyalty and reduce expensive turn-over.

Pros

Work is not challenging. Flexible schedule.

Cons

Weak and bad top management. Very bad benefit. Unused vacation is not paid and not allowed to take either in the last two weeks. Low morale. When the job market is good, 80% of people are thinking about leaving....

Advice to Senior Management

Treat employee with more ethics.

Pros

Working for an out-sourcer servicing Government entitlement programs in a down economy is hard to screw up. Most of the people are good to work with and technically competent. Most people don't let their ego get in the way of teamwork.

Cons

The teamwork vibe only extends as far as the walls of this location; intra-corporate communication and coordination are very low. Management does not communicate or act on personnel issues constructively. Working for an out-sourcer, don't be surprised if they try to outsource you. Low morale means that when external opportunity improves, there will be (another) exodus.

Advice to Senior Management

Communicate on issues relating to corporate or local issues in a complete, consistent, and timely manner, and stop trying to spin the message. Your silence implies ignorance, incompetence, or lack of concern. Re-evaluate the success of the off-shore out-sourcing strategy on a regular basis. Personal loyalty to executives is earned through demonstrated expertise and their support of the front-line contributors, and cannot be created by demand. Once earned, personal loyalty does not excuse counter-productive leadership.

Pros

I can't think of one. We are not given any reasons for layoffs nor do we have any sense of direction. I have had six managers in the past year and none were related to the industry our group worked with.

Cons

Lying, untruthfull managers, no direction, no advancement, no sense of loyalty in the employee/employer perspective.

Advice to Senior Management

I could speak volumes but it never would sink in. There really isn't anything to say as it would go in one ear and out another.