disability support worker

administrative assistant

community team leader

human resources manager

Next-Step-Residential-Services-Ltd

Just a very sad company. The clients are amazing, and staff are hardworking and helpful. It’s Management and the Director of this company make it not even worth it. You get paid bupkis for highly stressful work, when other companies in disability services pay way more and appreciate you more. Management constantly micromanages you and treats you like garbage. Everything is disorganized and really confusing when you are trying to get information from management. Some days it feels like the office is run by a bunch of inexperienced kids just winging it. 

You can go years without a pay increase even if you put your whole heart into it. I’ve worked with a lot of hardworking people here who still get taken advantage of and paid barely over minimum wage for years of service. Working with these individuals is really incredible and the relationships you could make will effect you for a life time. But it’s really insulting that this rewarding work is tarnished by a few select selfish people in management, who haven’t even worked a day in frontline. But they will fire you at the top of a hat if they don’t like you, even if you’ve done nothing to deserve it. 

If you are looking for a rewarding job in this sector, please keep looking. This job you will walk away with a good learning experience and that’s it. People in this line of work deserve a lot more respect. Do yourself a favour and find something better. 



Working with individuals with disabilities is one of the most challenging yet rewarding jobs, and I’m glad I got the opportunity to be in this line of work. That being said, working for Next Step was nothing but incredibly stressful. Be prepared to be answering calls and texts on your days off being asked to either come into the office or pick up shifts. High turnaround is common and there is a lot of negativity amongst coworkers. There were a few mornings when coworkers did not show up for their shifts and I would have to stay late. The pay rate is low for this field - I had two years of relevant schooling for this position and was being paid 50 cents over minimum wage. The final straw for me was coming into work at the beginning of the pandemic and not being told by management that the individual I worked with at the time was symptomatic. Next Step is not looking out for you, and I would recommend working with another disability service provider if possible. 

The clients are great. Some of the CDSW are great people to work with. Management is very unorganized and does not follow-through with what they tell you they are going to do.  You spend more money on fuel than you make and there is no compensation for this. No job security or benefits. Paid low wage  even if you have all the training  needed before they hire you. When they interview you they tell you one thing then after the hiring  you find out that you are not compensated. You pay for everything and you might be able to claim it on your taxes for a percentage of what you spent. (training, fuel). I Loved working with the clients. and will continue to do this work with another company.

The clients are great to work with, and most staff are hardworking. Some staff just come for a paycheck. Need better hiring practices.  Management on the other hand do not know what is going on a lot of times.. Too much confusion and disorganization going on with management, Team Leaders and staff sometimes. When you come on shift it would be nice to know how the clients day was so your prepared for anything that comes up with the clients later on. Can be stressful.
Low wages and long time before you get a small increase. No gas or mileage paid,You have to wait a year and claim it on your taxes.

Overall the culture here is very good, however as most support agencies, the wage was disappointing. I often felt unsupported when looking into advancement within the company, and as a company as whole, I did not feel they cared (no financial support outside of your wage for mileage or updating CPR/First Aid etc.). Individual management was great, and the people I got to work with were also great. The job itself is very rewarding and has a clear direction with the expectations being very clear. 

The individuals are great to support. 

There is a lot of training which is standard. 

You don't get the wages we are suppose to, they save that in the form of a bonus. So they make money of of your wages. 

Too many hours to pick up because staff doesn't stay. The turn over is too high. 

Feel sorry for the team leads, they get the full brunt of it all. 

As a support worker, your supervisor is the program manager.  So if you got a good one, your are golden.  

A typical day would start with planning a fun day with the residents and keeping track of their basic needs ensuring they are living as normal as possible and are involved with the community as much as possible. You work unsupervised almost all the time and the management ensure your safety and security at work. As you are working on shifts and with different partners, different cultures mingle and work together peacefully.

The individuals are great to support, but it is tough with the high needs. 

There is a lot of training which is standard. 

We don't get the wages we are suppose to. 

Too many hours to pick up because staff doesn't stay. The turn over is too high. We are always sick because we can't get time off. 

Feel sorry for the team leads, they get the full brunt of it all. 

Pros: Helping wonderful people and some great co-workers. Some shift flexibility.
Cons: Disorganized management, terrible benefits, low wages, no RRSP benefits, no paid sick time, minimal paid holidays, work can be unstable as contracts come and go and funding changes, extremely high turnover in all critical areas with constant short staffing affecting safety, and quality of care.

Keep a open mind to learning new tips! Take all the free courses available . The company and staff are always willing to help if you have questions.
There are many stages of disability’s and every stage is a new way to learn how to make their  life comfortable, healthy and happy

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Disability support worker 7 salaries reported	$19.50 per hour
Administrative assistant 3 salaries reported	$19.00 per hour
Community team leader 6 salaries reported	$21.13 per hour
Human resources manager 1 salary reported	$33.00 per hour

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