Vision Service Plan Reviews in Sacramento, CA Area

Pros

Decent compensation and benefits, VSP name on resume, variety of technical opportunities, in-house cafe and workout facilities, relatively competent co-workers.

Cons

Promote less-competent people from within, so many superiors do not know important technical skills, lots of internal politics for a "non-profit organization", antiquated internal computers and infrastructure, heavily reliance on Microsoft applications, HR department is sub-par and offers no protection in sharing grievances anonymously

Advice to Senior Management

Great environment and camaraderie, but lots of politics for a "non profit organization". HR department needs a lot of work. No way to express valid grievances anonymously.

Pros

Health/ Vision coverage better then I have ever had with another company. Many company sponsored events really care for employees and their families. Makes the employee want to grow and stay with the company.

Cons

Upper management seems to have no clue. Outdated systems and Human Resources seems to be involved in every aspect of the job.

Advice to Senior Management

Pay more attention to the actual job needs of the employee. Keep on providing the best benefits available and you will be able to keep the top qualitiy reps.

Pros

VSP boasts their benefits program, primarily their 15% 401K contribution (5% matching, additional 10% based on company performance). Currently the vesting time is 6 years. The managers show a decent amount of care about your professional development. The coworkers are very nice for the most part, and the close teamwork is very apparent within the IT teams. A good relationship can be created within the team and with the manager, where you can speak your mind and not worry about negative repercussions. It seems that many people who only have high school degrees and go into a position like Customer Service tend to like VSP for the many job opportunities during their career.

Cons

It seems to be known across the entire area that VSP consistently pays less than market value (unless you get a high-paying position depending on who you know or are a relative of someone in a high position). However, Human Resources and most managers insist that they pay competitively, and with that with their "total compensation" package (stressing their 401K contribution), that they pay better other places in the area.

Overall there's an arrogant attitude about VSP being the best place to work due to their benefits. Their medical benefits used to be excellent, but is constantly getting more expensive for employees each year. VSP claims it's due to rising health costs, but the amount that it increases is HUGE, even greater than other companies. It may be due to many unhealthy people at VSP, because if you're decently healthy, you can usually find decently priced healthcare outside and doesn't cost that insane amount that VSP claims they have to pay for each employee.

As for other bonuses such as their 401K contribution, VSP always includes this as your "total compensation" even though 10% of that 15% is not guaranteed (although they have kept it up so far), and it takes 6 years to vest. They never mention this part, and if brought up, HR and some managers act shocked as to why anyone would want to leave this "great company" within 6 years anyway, but never consider all the other factors (lower pay, changing managers, changing policies, etc).

So along with the lower pay, VSP also claims they have a "pay-for-performance" program, where yearly increases are due to an employee's performance. Management talks about it all the time, but this is seriously limited due to all the bureaucracy that they have to go through with Human Resources just to get anything to happen. By that time, their top performing employees get frustrated and leave the company. Of course, this only affects the employees that go into the company with a lower pay, as those who are hired into the company with many years of experience already and with a large salary tend to stay. But it just means it's too hard for the newer employees to show their true potential. Salary increases definitely motivate. But when an annual increase is just 2% after the company overall has a great year, and that average 2% has to be spread out across an entire team, how does that motivate the top performing employees to continue working so hard?

And when a manager cannot give a higher increase, they will just list more areas that the employee must work on. It's like a dangling fishing line that will keep pulling away while the employee chases it. The only time that the employee will finally get something that will appease him or her is when he or she threatens to leave that team or that company, and even then it may not happen.

This review is based on the IT department, primarily the Application Developer area. Employees in other departments often have different opinions.

Advice to Senior Management

Remove all that bureaucracy that it takes to seriously give employees a "pay-for-performance" program. There are so many levels that one has to go through in order to get anything done. VSP will continue to lose high performers in IT until this is done.

Pros

Amazing training programs
Benefits are good
Tuition reimbursement program generous
Managers and employees working relationships can be very dynamic, supportive

Cons

Some senior managers need to be replaced - holding the company's progress back
The company's global expansion needs to mature. Poor execution in mergers and acquisitions.

Advice to Senior Management

VSP was a great company, but has grown arrogant based on previous accomplishments. To take the company to another level, some of the senior managers need to go. They helped build VSP to what it was. Time to transition in new leaders with ideas relevant to the direction and workforce trends.

Pros

Employee Benefits. Excellent benefits make up for the average salaries. There are enough job opportunities for the average person to find a comfortable job with the right hours to fit their lifestyle.

Cons

Politics. Promotions are often based on who you know and upper management does not see the unraveling going on in the departments. Middle management is forced to participate in projects that take them away from their jobs. There is only so much time in a day so something's got to give. There are too many band-aid fixes because they don't have the time to devote to cleaning up day to day issues in the departments.

Advice to Senior Management

Take a realistic look at your departments. There is too much focus on the big picture to see what's going on down in the trenches. Cutting Admin costs does not mean making less people do more work. You either need better technology or more people. Quality or quantity?? Quality is suffering because of all the band-aid fixes.

Pros

There are two reasons why someone would want to work for VSP:
1. You only have a high school diploma and want to work for coporate america so you work at the call center (the only department that pays well compared to other & leverage that job to move into some other career)
2. You have no career aspiration/ You want to park your career and relax. Chances are, you won't get displaced or fired. Don't worry about promotions, it won't happen. They'll love you if you just sit there, do your job & tell them how honored you are to work for vsp.

Cons

Politics, politics, politics = nothing ever gets done. They make you do all these crazy research projects that cost $$$ but do nothing with the results and recommendations because that would require someone to undo what they did or they already ran the other way like chickens with their heads cut-off.
Management is clueless. God knows how they got up there but you will be dumbfounded sitting in executive management meetings and hearing what comes out of their mouths.
The salaries are so not competitive, it's an insult.
the bonus is not based on performance, everybody get 1 week/ year. so you don't have a goal & don't really know why you're there (not for profit, so forget about the plain concept of making $).
I could keep going on, but I think you get the concept.

Advice to Senior Management

Be careful. The company is doing well but you don't know why. That's a recipe for disaster. You got to your management job based on politics, not capabilities. Figure out how to do your job before it's too late.

Pros

You don't have to leave VSP to change your career path or look for new opportunities. They also provide the best benefits package around. I truly feel like a family here at VSP, we don't always agree, but we are always looking for out for each other and trying to be the best we can be.

Cons

The stress of our competitors and how this impacts the way we do business. VSP will not pay you the highest but they do compensate well with benefits and community.

Advice to Senior Management

Slow down and focus.

Pros

The benefits are better than working for the government. The cake from Ettores on cake day once a month is a special perk. VSP really treats their employees equally and with respect. Great cafe's! There are so many positons available and room for advancement is great. They typically look internally for job opportunities.

Cons

I have not found any yet! The best way to get your foot in the door is to start in customer service. You will gain a wealth of knowledge about the company starting in customer service.

Advice to Senior Management

I am honored to be a part of the VSP family. I am proud to work for a company that is working so hard to go green. Stay competative with salaries.