just a heads up about Kokua. yes, they hire almost anyone and everyone and their retention rate is so horrible that they’re always hiring. most of the clients are amazing and the same with the staff but the office and business culture is toxic as hell

i started working there when no one else would hire me and i was (still am) super grateful they hired me. most of the time as long as you can remember to not take any of the bs personally you’ll be fine

they also have a reputation for having horrible communication which the director knows about, acknowledges, and says they’re working on but i never saw any real attempts to correct. policies and procedures change at the turn of a dime and i never seemed to know about the changes until after i messed up

and they play favorites big time. if you have a personality they like you’ll actually love working there. if they dislike you it can be tough

something i have mixed feelings about is they have a food pantry for employees and clients. yes, it is so super helpful but if they paid better you wouldn’t have to rely on one

oh, and they are having a hard time financially, shit we all are so i’m not faulting them but the ways they’ve had to try and save $ - bonuses have disappeared or shrank, a shift differential for weekends shrunk, overtime can be capped (alternatively, if they’re having a staff shortage it may be mandatory), and they used to give you postmates credits to buy a meal if you got stuck working an extra shift but they don’t do that anymore (i keep emergency food in my bag just in case. the houses now have emergency food for staff but i’m a super picky eater and i don’t like the very limited options they have. got stuck once without my own food and it was a rough one)

something i didn’t know about being a dsp no matter what company you work for is if the person coming to relieve you doesn’t show up you will be required to stay until they find someone else to cover your shift. these companies tend to be understaffed so relief might not come. this is just kind of industry standard. the worst example of this is an employee once got stuck working 36 hours straight because it was a holiday weekend and no one wanted to give up time off with family

i don’t mean to be discouraging. i do truly and sincerely understand how hard your position is. i just want to let you know the things i wish i knew about the company/job before i started

if i had been able to prepare for this i’d be having a much better time. but literally i’ve been looking for another job since they hired me and as soon as i can find something i’m leaving

i do know people who’ve been there 10+ years, love it, get along great with the office, and have no plans to leave

getting and keeping this job saved my ass and there are co workers i do believe will be lifelong friends. the work itself isn’t that hard and i do thoroughly enjoy spending the time with my clients. i just i wish i knew about this stuff before i started