Pros
There are some definite benefits for working at GrapeTree. To name a few - you have the ability to set your own schedule, choose which facilities you would like to work at, and you avoid all of the nursing home drama and politics that their own full-time employees have to deal with. Hourly pay is higher than it would be as a full-time employee of a facility.
Cons
Even though your hourly pay is higher than it would be if working for a facility, you have no benefits (401K, medical, etc.) so it all kind of balances out in the end. Corporate staff tends to be less than helpful. They often fail to inform you if one of your credentials is due to expire soon (despite the fact that your contract states that they will give you 60 days notice before something expires) and the staffing department is often either rude when you call for help with scheduling, or fails to follow up with a facility after you ask a question. For example - I would regularly request to work 6p-6a for a facility looking for separate 2-10 and 10-6 help, and GrapeTree would fail to contact the facility for approval. Additionally, you receive a barrage of text messages asking you to pick up shifts every single day. Many of these shifts come with attached ‘bonuses’ - i.e. “pick up a shift with me in the next hour to get an extra $2/hr for that shift,” or a free priority pay - that never materialize. Speaking of bonuses … the company ‘loyalty’ program is laughable and offensive. The highest quarterly bonus tier pays out $250 for 500+ hours worked. That is a $0.50 per hour bonus and is not even worth the stress of hitting that many hours. Additionally, mileage is not paid. For those of us who live out in the middle of nowhere, it is a regular occurrence to drive 45+ minutes to work only to not be reimbursed either for gas or for the wear and tear on your personal vehicle. All of that aside, I believe the worst thing about this company is their call-in policy. I get the logic behind it - “you make your own schedule, so why would you ever need to call into work? Just don’t pick a certain day up if you need it off.” However, their policy ignores the fact that their healthcare professionals are human beings. Honestly, I think that corporate staff just forgets that fact. If you call in sick or with a family emergency or due to inclement weather, it is going to cost you at least $50. Yes, you read that right, they will literally take money out of your paycheck. They do not care how good of a track record you have, how reliable you’ve proven yourself to be … I called in twice in three years of employment and I never earned any sort of sick time, as the company policy simply does not allow for it. No, they do not care if you have a doctor’s note or a positive COVID test … they will either bill you or, if you can’t afford that, you will be forced into a nursing home full of elderly people with compromised immune systems. I once tested positive for COVID and had ten shifts picked up in the next two weeks … they tried to charge me $50/shift (total $500) until I hunted down the paper trail stating that the facility cancelled *me*, not the other way around, and had the fee waived. Another anecdote from my time working for GrapeTree … there is nothing quite like having to leave for a 2pm shift, normally 45 minutes away, at 10am due to a raging blizzard that you cannot afford not to drive through. GrapeTree will actually send you a text at the beginning of winter reminding you that we cannot call in due to snow and that we should ‘leave early, plan to stay the night, and make alternate travel plans’ … I’m not really sure what ‘alternate travel plans’ means when you live in the middle of nowhere with no such thing as public transportation or Uber. I suppose you’d better hope that you have a boyfriend/husband with a four-wheel drive truck. Overall, this policy is despicable and GrapeTree should be ashamed of it. It puts both their staff and the residents we care for at risk. Speaking of facility cancellations … they are free to cancel you at just about any time. GrapeTree claims that they must give you 24 hours notice prior to cancelling your shift, but they will let the facilities ‘slide’ on this rule. So, OK for the facility to cancel you, but not the other way around.
