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    Washington Department of Health Reviews

    Updated May 5, 2017
    25 reviews

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    Full-time Part-time
    2.9
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    25 Employee Reviews

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    1. "Good benefits, not much upward mobility"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Radiation Health Physicist in Tumwater, WA
      Former Employee - Radiation Health Physicist in Tumwater, WA
      Doesn't Recommend
      Neutral Outlook

      I worked at Washington Department of Health full-time (More than 8 years)

      Pros

      Good benefits, good pay for engineers considering its a state job.

      Cons

      No upward mobility unless someone dies or retires. High achievers are treated just like poor performers and are paid the same too. People who don't do their job well or at all are not disciplined and are never fired.

      Advice to Management

      If someone is a constant HR mess or poor at their job, start the HR write up process to get them out the door.

    2. Helpful (1)

      "Will vary with position level..."

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Environmental Specialist in Tumwater, WA
      Former Employee - Environmental Specialist in Tumwater, WA
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook

      I worked at Washington Department of Health full-time (Less than a year)

      Pros

      Good variety of projects, decent salary, decent collaboration with other agencies related to projects, laid back work environment, communication with upper level management was easy`

      Cons

      Difficulty to move up from entry level positions, seasonal position that did not need to be seasonal, employee retention for this position would be very beneficial to the project, some tension between upper level management, I was there during a restructuring of programs so it was a bit hectic.

      Advice to Management

      I was there during a restructuring of programs so things are likely different now and hopefully more organized. Consider transitioning lower level seasonal jobs to full-time permanent jobs to catch up on data management during off season and to increase productivity on certain projects that lose momentum due to flux of seasonal workers.

    3. "Microbiologist I"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in Shoreline, WA
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in Shoreline, WA
      Recommends

      I worked at Washington Department of Health (Less than a year)

      Pros

      I enjoy working at DOH, the people are amazing. You'll learn a lot! You can share burden with your partner if you get terribly bored with your job duty. Usually no surprises. Able to see unusual and interesting things.

      Cons

      Your work depends on the sample arriving. Some days you can be very busy, some days can be very lenient.

    4. "Administrative Assistant 3"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Administrative Assistant III in Olympia, WA
      Former Employee - Administrative Assistant III in Olympia, WA
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook

      I worked at Washington Department of Health full-time (Less than a year)

      Pros

      Great Networking Opportunities, Excellent training programs

      Cons

      Ethics and integrity of some of the management leaves a lot to be desired

      Advice to Management

      Vet supervisors

    5. "HSC 1"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Credentialing Specialist in Olympia, WA
      Former Employee - Credentialing Specialist in Olympia, WA
      Recommends

      I worked at Washington Department of Health (More than 3 years)

      Pros

      I really enjoyed my co-workers. They are really easy to get along with. The work was at times a little challenging as I worked a brand new profession that was being credentialed.

      Cons

      I personally wasn't kept busy enough. I know that most people would tell you their work loads were through the roof, however mine was not. I was triple checking work.

    6. "Great place to work"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Epidemiologist II in Tumwater, WA
      Former Employee - Epidemiologist II in Tumwater, WA
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook

      I worked at Washington Department of Health full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      Lean practices to organize workflow and cut down on wasted time
      Good benefits
      Fantastic management team - I always felt well-supported at all levels
      I felt I was a valuable asset to the wheel of public health in WA State
      Never a dull moment -- there were always tasks to do, and we were always busy
      Supportive public health community, and interested legislators and public made the job more interesting

      Cons

      Because of budget, we could have used a couple more epidemiologists to get all of our work done in a timely manner.
      They scare you out of ever checking your personal email or looking at the web for anything, even during lunch break.
      Wi-fi only available on DOH-issued laptops

    7. Helpful (1)

      "Current Employee"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Program Manager in Olympia, WA
      Current Employee - Program Manager in Olympia, WA
      Recommends
      Negative Outlook

      Pros

      Forward thinking, innovative work, good benefits

      Cons

      Typical bureaucratic structure, limited advancement, technologically behind the times

      Advice to Management

      Work to realign old job classifications to current day needs, create better pathways for advancement, work to be competitive in compensation

    8. Helpful (2)

      "Some good coworkers but crazy making management"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Program Manager in Tumwater, WA
      Former Employee - Program Manager in Tumwater, WA
      Doesn't Recommend

      I worked at Washington Department of Health full-time (Less than a year)

      Pros

      Tumwater is a lovely city
      Nice office buildings
      Staff can be supportive of each other
      The sense of satisfaction from public service

      Cons

      Leadership was oblivious to impacts of their inconsistency and lack of professionalism.
      Skill doesn't dictate who gets assignments, nepotism does
      Policies work when followed, a lack of consistency in following written policies
      It can be a machine with no soul that runs people over

      Advice to Management

      Follow policy in management practices
      This review is not a criticism of older managers in general because I've had some excellent ones. Age can bring skill and wisdom. My short term experience with the particular department of DOH that I dealt with prompted me to resign. An older manager ran a department in a way that was allowed 20 years ago but shockingly unprofessional in this day. Processes and procedures in a government agency get ironed out for a reason and for the protection of all involved in a workplace.

      Managers that call employees on weekends, after hours, asking inappropriate personal questions and demanding work get done during a holiday isn't just about a strong work ethic but a manager that doesn't understand appropriate professional boundaries.
        In my experience: communication wasn't clear, the expectation was a moving target and the employee got blamed for managements lack of clarity. DOH is big, there are MANY programs, among them are excellent and well run programs. In my case I would be very careful and look for red flags in the interview process. There were red flags about a lack of professionalism which I initially ignored and it cost me professionally. My interaction with DOH actually hurt my career

    9. Helpful (1)

      ":("

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - HSC1 in Tumwater, WA
      Former Employee - HSC1 in Tumwater, WA
      Doesn't Recommend

      I worked at Washington Department of Health part-time (Less than a year)

      Pros

      People!! Supportive, family environment. Flexible schedule.

      Cons

      Government politics. Little to no feedback. Expectations are not clear. Repetitious, tedious work. Some supervisors clearly played favorites but most were extremely fair and nonbiased.

      Advice to Management

      (This only pertains to my specific situation) Please allow more open communication so that the employee knows if he/she is not meeting an expectation. Letting someone go after probationary period due to "not meeting expectations" is highly unfair (and quite vague) if there was no communication throughout the probationary period that those expectations were not being met. Give the employee a chance to change and make improvements. Most of us want to meet and exceed the goals presented to us.

    10. "Department of Health"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Environmental Health in Tumwater, WA
      Current Employee - Environmental Health in Tumwater, WA
      Recommends
      Neutral Outlook

      I have been working at Washington Department of Health full-time (More than 3 years)

      Pros

      Good benefits, treated with respect.

      Cons

      Flat at the top of pay scale. Public sector jobs are not prospering.

      Advice to Management

      Encourage innovation.

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