support worker

learning and development facilitator

direct support professional

recruiting coordinator

support manager

Empower Simcoe

I enjoyed working at Empower Simcoe because of the supportive team environment and the ability to work with so many amazing clients. Pay is okay and benefits and good, but there are major downsides to working here. 
Management do not support staff with their needs and I feel as if supervisors/scheduling departments are given more responsibilities in this area. I felt like management viewed me as an employee number rather than a person. My mental health declined so much when working here that I had no choice to quit after a leave was denied. Looking back, I realize how great this job was because of the work and support we provide, however, I was under so much stress and suffering so much anxiety from the constant changing of rules/policies/schedules/responsibilities that I had to quit. I think many staff that have quit in the last year or so experienced the same thing. 
If Empower Simcoe wants to keep more staff, they need to commit to investing in their staff's mental and physical health. 

When I told my supervisor about my stress, anxiety, and issues, he simply referred me to the Employee assistance program and told me that he had stress too. Ironic how a company that supports so many in the community cannot even support its own staff. 
Think long and hard about whether you can work in an environment like this before applying! The job is amazing, but the stress was not worth it for me and so many others. 

Lots of training about clients rights and needs but it's only to check a box for ministry. When it comes to applying these things, no one actually cares. I've worked in many Empower locations. 1 particular home, a client has the right to attack another client and staff are not allowed to intervene except to call the police. This would be very traumatizing and pointless because these people don't understand what they are doing. 
I've advocated for clients to go on outings and they have not been allowed to because agency staff aren't able to drive and they don't have other workers or the client is too high needs and requires more then 1 staff but the company won't allocate appropriate staffing levels to support clients going out.

Some homes are running well but there is little to no training in other programs.
Older staff and staff with a passion for special needs get burnt out and frustrated because even their supervisors aren't able to change anything.

The money is good for what you do however, if you are a full time staff, you can't take a vacation day for a minimum of 8 months. This forces you to find coverage to switch shifts or call In sick. 

I'm sorry but a company shouldn't run your life. 
I do not like empower Simcoe whatsoever as a business. I love the clients which is why I haven't left yet.

I can't give this a good review because I have nothing positive to say about the organization.  If your young fresh out of college maybe this is a good start work lots, pay off those student debts, get some experience but there is no flexibility with the schedule even though they advertise flexible hours, getting time off is always a hassle! There's a block with 2 weeks around Christmas/New Years where NO union employee can book off they will schedule you where ever so be prepared no real holidays with your family! 
I've been a long term employee and have been in many different areas of the agency and through many revamps of the agency.  They don't practice what they preach they only like what looks good on paper and not about the people supported at all.  Your an employee number and that's it.  They don't show appreciation for their staff even though they have all these committees to try and engage and make it more positive.  They can't keep good staff.  They hire an outside agency to cover shifts that are not qualified for the job.  There's a lot of burn out and you see it in management and support staff.  Unfortunately it's a very toxic work environment.  

The pros are job security and the pay is decent for the type of job. You get RRSP contribution and benefits after 3 months or a certain amount of hours. The cons are that you will never feel supported by management. You will be moved around from house to house with very little (two weeks) notice and your entire schedule will change at that point. If you report anything somehow it will end up being turned around and be your fault. The problem employees will be moved around and never dealt with. Once you have a great team and some consistency in a house they will change the staff and cause major disruptions to the dynamics. Everything has to look good only for the ministry and everything has to look good on paper even if that's not the case. The people who live in the houses are not a priority for management. If you advocate for them against something the agency does you will get in trouble. They will never explain decisions that are made, it's more of a "because I said so" management style. Most staff are burnt out and bitter from the way they have been treated by the agency. 

This company is going no where but down hill.  This all starts with a CEO, that is more concerned with what looks good on paper than how her staff are coping! Constantly stating "we are a team" but anyone not management are treated with such disrespect. Covid has definitely shown the true colours of how bad this company is to work for.  
We have staff leaving left, right and centre.  Losing 6 supervisors in 2 months proves it's not just non-management that have had enough of this company.  People supported are the last thing they think about. The scheduling department are rude, disrespectful, and make up rules as they go. 
Covid policies are disrespectful, and come across as a punishment for those who choose not to or can not get the vaccine.
They treat the 3rd party employees with more respect then their own employees.
They ask their own employees to donate money for funding for repairs, new equipment etc
Wages are poorly set out, having staff doing the same duties making $2-7 difference in pay.
Unless changes happen quickly, I would not suggest anyone work here.



Staff and people supported are great and working with them has brought a lot of joy to my life. Management however is the biggest down fall of this company. Their unwillingness to treat staff with respect and dignity literally goes against what the company strives to achieve for the people it supports. Company culture has created a toxic work environment where even the most loyal and competent staff leave. The frontline staff go to great lengths to advocate and provide the best support they can to the people they support and are very rarely recognized for their efforts and to the contrary are often undervalued and under appreciated. Career advancement, is not great, staff are encouraged to stay in positions due to staff shortages instead of advancing. Staff are over worked due to high turnover and the need to fill vacant shifts. This employer would get a zero star review if I could. 

I worked for the agency for a long time.  In the beginning it was awesome.  Lots of opportunity for learning, growth and advancement that ended very quickly when the new CEO took over.  Expressing concerns about the work environment and workload Label you as a problem. I had a supervisor openly roll her eyes at me when expressing some very valid concerns.  The level of stress not only the staff but the people supported are under is not okay, and management doesn’t seem to care.  You should also note that most of the good reviews do not come from front line staff, and that should speak volumes as to where the agency puts value.  It is certainly not the staff in the trenches.

This was a good company to work for at one time. Now its like a dictator regime where they relish in making you afraid of losing your job for the smallest misdemeanor.
They provide good salaries and benefits, but interaction between management and employees is horrible. Do as I say or else!
The needs of the clients and staff are totally disregarded.
They keep bad employees and supervisors around because they are short staffed which does not promote good staff relations.
The last priority here is people supported by the agency which is very sad as that is what this company is supposed to be all about.
Inside agencys come in everyday..do nothing and frustrate overworked staff. Im sure the supported familys would be happy to know some of these people landed in Canada last week with no training!
Big changes need to be made at the top to stop the mass exodus.

Working in the housing department has been a wonderful experience. The team and management are very supportive and collaborative and approachable.

Compensation and benefits are very fair and lots of flexibility to help accommodate life and family events/emergencies.  The policies and benefits help support and encourage time spent with family to reset/refresh.  

Management also have been quite supportive and fair towards the individuals being supported and is reflected in the feedback I receive from those I work with.  Empathetic approach to supporting those in the program which results in people having an opportunity to live and growth/recover from their past.  

Best part of the job is seeing people succeed, grow and understanding how the program has greatly and positively impacted their lives. 





Top Job Titles	Average salary
Support worker 154 salaries reported	$28.07 per hour
Learning and development facilitator 5 salaries reported	$28.73 per hour
Direct support professional 2 salaries reported	$24.79 per hour
Recruiting coordinator 5 salaries reported	$28.73 per hour
Support manager 1 salary reported	$36.61 per hour

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