Washington Department of Health Reviews

Cons

The organization is big and the culture can vary by what team your on. I loved my team but knew there was variation across the organization.

Cons

Management does not appreciate education. If you are not in with management you are out. Gossip is rampant. Few to no opportunities for growth. Supervisors lack consistent training. Intimidation tactics used frequently. Positive feedback is almost non-existent. Turnover is extremely high across the agency.

Cons

-as with all government jobs, the bureaucracy can be draining--lots of red tape, especially if you are non-DOH fellow
-salary is not as competitive as the private sector

Cons

Hard to move up
Not that diverse

Cons

Very hard to move up unless someone quits or retires. Pay is not great compared to the cost of living in the area. Employees that are salary are treated like hourly (even if work is done you must stay til the bell rings). The Shoreline lab gets forgotten and doesn’t get all the great benefits of the Tumwater campus even though we still receive emails about events that are not relevant to lab staff.

Cons

this is specific to the HTS (health technology solutions) group: if you are applying for a project management job or a few other groups, unless you are male and specifically white middle aged male, you will not be hired. If you have a disability , health issues, or need accommodations, you will not be approved. The open office environment is very distracting yet it is mandatory to be present and physically in the office and at your expected location even if it is a day to work from home. If you are someone's favorite than you are great but if you cross the wrong person, forget about being left alone. You will be harassed, pushed out, ignored and bullied until you leave. Flexibility is only for star players, not equally permitted for everyone. It really comes down to your supervisor. if you have a progressive, open minded, professional for a supervisor, then you will enjoy working here. if not, good luck!

Cons

Individual achievement is not valued and you will be shunned for your efforts. They want you to bring "all of you to work" but the part that makes you stand out from the rest professionally should be left at home. They also experience a high turnover rate because of this, coupled with their poor reputation, leaving many positions unfilled for months upon months. Employees openly talk about transferring out of DOH to another State agency just to escape the toxic environment. HR is worthless, non-supportive, and uninformed about employee rights leaving the agency wide open for future litigation and creating an us vs. them mentality within the workforce. Also, everyone must worship the Secretary of Health as if he is some sort of higher spirit. Very strange. Don't accept a job and drink their Kool-Aid. Find another place to work where you will be valued and respected.

Cons

Bureaucracy can be frustrating. Managers don't seem to have a clue and keep staff out of decision making process.

Cons

• Substandard pay
• Inconsistent funding (due to legislative and congressional issues)
• Technologically out-of-date, in some areas by more than a decade

Cons

The agency is attempting to be progressive by revamping how they do business and attempting to become "One Health Department." Unfortunately, what remains under the flowery appearance is a backstabbing environment where few can be trusted. Oh, and they have invested a new way for government employees to be lazy, and it's called "work from home so that we can't supervise how you waste the taxpayer's money." They also allow mothers with newborns bring their kids to work that disturb the workplace environment with crying. Again, on the surface, everyone thinks it's a great idea, but people talk about how ridiculous this is. If you want to be lazy, go work here. If you want to be treated as a professional, look elsewhere.