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    University of California Berkeley Reviews

    Updated April 19, 2018
    1,880 reviews

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    4.1
    StarStarStarStarStar
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    Recommend to a friend
    Approve of CEO
    University of California Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas B. Dirks
    Nicholas B. Dirks
    374 Ratings

    1,880 Employee Reviews

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    Pros
    Cons

    • Lots of complaining about low pay (in 79 reviews)

    • work life balance can be a problem (in 22 reviews)

    More Pros and Cons

    1. "Video Production Assistant"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Video Editor/Producer in Berkeley, CA
      Current Employee - Video Editor/Producer in Berkeley, CA
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Disapproves of CEO

      I have been working at University of California Berkeley part-time (More than 3 years)

      Pros

      I have been working here for the last 4 years in the Video Technology Department for the Cal Football Department. This experience has truly been amazing! I've had the pleasure of cultivating relationships with such sincere, open-minded, tenacious, and hard-working individuals.

      Cons

      HOLIDAYS DON'T EXIST IN FOOTBALL!

      Advice to Management

      Continue to do what you are doing. The bond that is created in the Cal Football Family is something that I am sure can't be replicated anywhere else in the world.

    2. Helpful (1)

      "Campus Shared Services - Bureaucracy"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Berkeley, CA
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Berkeley, CA
      Recommends
      Neutral Outlook
      Disapproves of CEO

      I have been working at University of California Berkeley full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      Great team mates. Like-minded people who are passionate about their work and believe in providing top-tier support to their campus clients. I made lifelong friends working here.

      Cons

      If you like working for an organization that is innovative, works hard to stay efficient and effective, and takes constructive feedback - stay away. Bureaucracy (UCOP) within bureaucracy (campus) within bureaucracy (CSS) is a lot of layers to navigate through to accomplish even the smallest improvements.

      There is a huge issue with younger "Millennial" employees; older employees openly (jokingly?) blame Millennials on changing workforce priorities, extremely high turnover, and frustrations with management. As such, Millennials tend to hang out together and work hard to prove themselves, which only leads to more ostracization. Even senior management has joined in the Millennial bashing/blame-game.

      Inept middle management; they are constantly getting in the way of their teams' productivity, and would even lie to our campus clients and throw their team under the bus. And now CSS is trying to rebrand themselves ("regional model"), but management has been unable to vocalize what (if anything) is even changing, other than management reorganizations.

      Also, you always hear: 'If you work for a UC, the pay isn't as good, but the benefits/pensions are amazing!' Well...the pay not being good is still true, but the benefits and pensions have been slowly getting worse for the past several years. Benefits (medical, dental, vision) are still great if you have a full family, but other standard perks are nonexistent.

      Advice to Management

      Blaming high turnover on Millennials isn't the problem - most people who left my department while I was working there were not at all Millennials. The workforce is changing, and you need to innovate to meet the changing needs of both employees and campus clients.

      I know there's little management can do about the bureaucracy, since there are so many layers of it (starting with UCOP). But processes need to be improved.

      3. Join the University of California Berkeley team
      See Our Latest Jobs

    3. "Love Berkeley!!!"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee

      Pros

      Great people, very inspiring environment

      Cons

      The bureaucracy can be difficult to deal with

    4. "Engaging work but highly bureaucratic"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Berkeley, CA
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Berkeley, CA
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I have been working at University of California Berkeley part-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      Exciting atmosphere in the heart of such an innovative sphere. Great meeting new people doing diverse work and interest.

      Cons

      School has many bureaucratic issues, more so than other public universities I have worked for in the past

    5. "good for chill work study"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Work Study, Assistant
      Current Employee - Work Study, Assistant

      I have been working at University of California Berkeley part-time (Less than a year)

      Pros

      generally work study is pretty chill, you can do homework and study on your down time.

      Cons

      if you're looking to learn a lot, this isn't the job you want.

      Advice to Management

      if you have so many talented students and you're paying for them, shouldn't you take advantage of them more and give them actual work?

    6. "Financial Analyst"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee

      I have been working at University of California Berkeley full-time

      Pros

      Benefits are great, lots of perks. Just don't have the time to participate.

      Cons

      Pay in some areas are not competitive.

    7. "Student employee overall great job"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I have been working at University of California Berkeley part-time

      Pros

      Good flexibility, relaxed, opportunity for interesting work

      Cons

      Not many hours for part time

    8. "Ups and Downs"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Infant/Toddler Teacher
      Former Employee - Infant/Toddler Teacher
      Recommends

      I worked at University of California Berkeley full-time (More than 5 years)

      Pros

      If employer name is important, this give you great status
      Was able to get clipper card at discounted rate
      After 5 years, you're vested and will get a pension
      Nice to be a part of a community organized around the common goal of education

      Cons

      No tuition remission if you went to a UC
      look at your health plan very closely to see if it meets your needs
      Lots of silo-ing, i.e. departments don't talk to each other

      Advice to Management

      Hold more meetings with your workers to hear from them first hand

    9. "Recruiter"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Doesn't Recommend
      Neutral Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I have been working at University of California Berkeley part-time

      Pros

      Hours were flexible and easy to work around school

      Cons

      Hours being cut and overall inefficiency was not good.

      Advice to Management

      BE EFFICIENT

    10. "Growth Oriented"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Assistant Professor in Berkeley, CA
      Current Employee - Assistant Professor in Berkeley, CA

      I have been working at University of California Berkeley full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      Respect Research oppurtunities Flat Level Hierarchy

      Cons

      Delays Travel Problems Accomodation problems

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