support worker

residential counselor

retail sales associate

licensed practical nurse

client services

The Salvation Army

A typical day at work would be to take new items out to racks and shelves to stock more product. When the days items are placed apporpiately if it is not your shift on the till then the time would be spent sorting clothing or household items in the sorting room. In the clothing room you would then ensure that items are hung and tagged for the following day as well and if you are sorting household items you are responsible for having items checked priced and placed in baskets for the following day. While on till you are responsible for maintaining a clean and neat store front as well as greeting and serving customers. Other store front duties include the removing of donations and taking them to the proper sorting areas. This is a team effort on all employees to maintain an effective working place.
What I have learnt in this job is an increased customer service skill as not everyone has the same needs and sometimes you encounter people who need an additional amount of understanding to acheive their goals. I have also learned to be very considerate of others feelings for instance when some people drop donations off they may be from a deceased loved one and they are sometimes reluctantly dropping them off so you have to assure them that you will take good care of their possessions and thank them for thinking of the Salvation Army by donating their items which would help many people.
The hardest part of my job is helping the other coworkers with changes that are taking place lately. Not everyone excepts change in the same manner and can cause for additional stress in the workplace. It is difficult to help everyone maintain a positive attitude during these times.
The most enjoyable part of my job is while I am serving customers. While cashing out customers a friendly smile or a few sentences of friendly conversations sometimes helps put the smile back on ones face. Something as simple as taking the extra care with the wrapping of there purchases to ensure their safe journey home shows the customer you care about their possessions. I love having the ability to put a smile on someone face as they leave the store happy and willing to return at a future date to shop again
Another thing I enjoy about my job is the freedom to show my talents in arranging displays for different occassions or just to provide a more pleasing way to display everyday items

My immediate supervisors were wonderful, and I loved working as an assistant superintendent at one of their residential buildings. However, managing time for family and doctor appointments were a problem for me personally, and there were tenants who had nothing better to do than watch one's every move and complain about things that were sometimes beyond my control in that position. It's going to be very important to set boundaries and manage being kind and friendly with getting your job done if you choose to work here. 
Your miles may vary, and if you are the type of person who is healthy and ok with helping others at all hours of the day and throughout the night, then this is the job for you! If you have any health concerns, don't bother applying to work here, because even if your health concerns are not your fault, and you provide doctor's notes etc, you will be replaced without any haste, and you will be without a job and a home on top of your medical issues.
My advice: Become "friends" with the obviously problem tenants, don't get injured, and don't let anyone know about your problems as you age; sympathy is not to be expected, because your broken bones and health issues do not matter in the grand scheme of things. Remember that you are replaceable; your feelings unfortunately don't matter to the people who are counting on you, (tenants and fellow staff members). But if you can guarantee that you can be in good health, avoiding all accidents and illnesses, and that you have no problem with tenants who watch your every move and complain if you're doing anything other than the thing that they see as a problem in that moment, then this is the job for you. I was not successful here, but that doesn't mean that you won't be, and for the sake of the tenants who I grew to love, and my fellow staff members, I hope that you will be successful here where I was not.

Good luck, fellow job-hunter!

Working at the Sally, you're immediately taught that all customers are to be called "guests". You learn quickly that this has a purpose. During my summer student position this past summer, I felt that I was working at a place of love and friendship where each and every person who walks through the door was treated with the respect any good host would give a guest in his or her house.
A day of work varied depending on your assignment for the day, as well as when you began your shift. Some days would be tagging the clothes sent in. Others would be sorting the donations into different bins, while someone else would be hanging clothes and another rifling through boxes of "brickerbrack". If you were on the floor (my favourite position) you would be at the register tending to guests or tidying up and putting away clothing racks brought out.
The managers were lovely. By the time I finished my position, I felt I had inherited four or five aunts. My co-workers were the same. It truly was a family, one where every person was supported and loved through every life event. I felt comfortable working and laughing with all of my co-workers and was truly sad to leave them at the end of the summer.
The hardest part of the job was having to explain certain policies to guests, or dealing with others who were perhaps not pleased with the prices on certain items.
The most enjoyable part, however, was building solid working relationships with the regular guests who came into our shop (some daily). These people became as much of a part of my job as my co-workers and managers did. They would always make sure to chat, ask me about my summer activities, and wish me the best in my future.
It was a truly lovely place to work!

Working there was great but I had a bad experience with my co-worker but the management are biased & one sided because I am new & the other was a senior.Same person I work with , the 1st day of my work @ the end of our work she found a real gun, pointed on me & click it.That person became a store manager from different location but until now I have nightmares of that experience of that female co-worker.I only wish I call 911 for an assault & I keep it to myself & never tell anyone! Thank God there is no live bullet, same person who loved making up stories about how dealt with customers .Yet every time she open her mouth of lies, our managers & district manager believes what she said.One time I had my surgeries I couldn't work because of nerve pain but received an email that I thought a get well soon & instead they want me to quit my job, its hurts me painfully.Even in a short period of time I invest my honest time to work there but it adds an insult to persuade me & leave me choice. I can't give them a date when I'm coming back to work, very sick minded people who cares only for money but the welfare of their employees they DON'T CARE AT ALL but care money & income, when you become useless for them GOODBYE...Production people & sales associates & cashiers are pretty hard working people there but managers or the management are cold hearted people, trust me they don't care. I remember 1 co-worker who works after long service & retired, no gift, no small party fr the company or fro, the store managers but employees shares some cash as a token of gift as a friend. I loved working there, some are friendly & some are bully but I loved most are the customers whom I earned love, respect and friendship...I tried to come back but since I tell the store manager & new district manager, they decline my request to come back. Sometimes I came to buy before closing but many new employees are either talking or on the cellphone !

a typical day at work would involve counseling mentally ill patients and guiding them towards a solution to the issues they are facing or to help them develop personal skills where they can learn how to be self sufficient as well as know how to cope with the stress brought on by their mental illness. i have learned that none should be judged by their appearances or by what is being said about them. everyone has a story and a reason behind who they are, how they feel, and what they do. its important to get to know the person and be able to connect with that individual in order to help the person get to a better state in his life rather than judge him. in the ten years i have been employed by the salvation army, i have pretty much dealt with all kinds of different personalities. i have dealt with the hard working, and honest coworkers and i have also dealt with the trouble makers. all of which has helped me develop the skills needed to deal with any issue that arises in a professional and respectful manner without any influence on my work ethic. the hardest part of the job was to see or hear about a patient who was beyond help and decided to end their life. you tend to develop a professional and sincere relationship with clients who confide in you and see you as their comfort and safe place where they can talk freely without feeling judged. it's hard to end up losing a client to mental illness but the most important thing is to not let it affect my ability to help those who are responding positively to my techniques and methods. the most enjoyable part was to see a patient who used to suffer greatly fro his illness be able to enjoy life more and cope better with life because you were able to help them.

This job has its challenges and its rewards, At this job I support kids and adults with behavioural, physical, or special needs. Our program is to provide relief to families for a weekend or week at a time. In a typical day, I administer medications, provide personal care (bathing, changing etc...), as well I take kids out into the community to do lots of different activities. My co-workers are the best in this job its very important  to have each others backs, and to work as a team, in order for a shift to go smooth. Some of the challenges of this job are to learn the different techniques, to deal with different behaviours, and to avoid getting into a power struggle. Especially out in public it can be difficult to de-escalate, therefore determining what each kid can handle when planning an outing is very important so we set them up to succeed and not fail. The best part of this job is the kids, this job has taught me to be patient, it has taught me to see how important it is to not judge someone for being different. I have learned to know when some of my non-verbal kids act out, thats their way of telling us something is wrong and they just cant verbally say it. Which is super frustrating for them, so it teaches me to be patient, and to do my best to communicate with them and try to help them through their anxiety in that time. Overall this job has way more rewards then challenges, it continues to shape me into a better person through all the different participants I meet. I think most times I learn more from them, then they do from me.

From the beginning, everything seemed fine. The interview process went very well. The management seemed really friendly and down to earth. And once the position started it was pretty straight forward what was expected of me... Or so I thought.

I continued on with my job day by day, getting along with customers and staff really well. I did my tasks as requested, and I asked questions if I was unsure of something. 

About a month in, I requested a meeting for coaching/review. This was for no particular reason other than just trying to make sure I had been satisfying my leaders. My boss assured me I was doing well and that we would sit down together soon enough.

Another month passed and I brought it up again saying no need to rush but just checking in. Same response. (my reason for double asking was because 3 month probation end was coming). 

Well enter the 3 month mark, and they fire me. 3 months to the day. "We've decided you're not a good fit." 

As someone fighting with anxiety and mental health, this was the first job I had in my entire 28 year life where I felt comfortable and was without my demons. 

I went home sick 2 times due to not feeling well on new meds. And I made one mistake one time, which I was talked to about. And that was more just a learning moment, not a repercussion. 

There was absolutely no sign of me losing this job, even while I requested coaching that never came. 

Looking back, I feel like I was hired on so their long term staff could take their vacations. It seems many of the 'popular' staff went on vacation while I was there and I was always asked to pick up most of their hours. 

You'd think a quiet job at a huge company with religious morals and roots, would have been a good look for stability and understanding... But I guess not.

A typical day at work would involve assisting opening the store early in the morning where your daily duties would include opening the loading dock, checking the side of the building for new donations and bringing them to the back of the store, using a pallet jack to bring out triplewall corrugated pallet boxes of donations out into the back of the stores sorting station, sweeping the back sorting stations and walkways, assist bringing out the front merchandise to the front of the store, unlocking the side gates, and for the rest of the day removing garbage from the sorters stations, and removing and bringing the sorters newly filled triplewall corrugated pallet boxes full of donations to be sorted. I learned organization skills cooperation skills and time management skills while working at this job, the management was always fair and helpful and includes all of the workers in decisions regarding the store and how to make things run more smoothly, my coworkers were energetic fun people with good humor and strong work ethics. the hardest part of the job would have to be long hours of heavy lifting, difficult weather, and early morning shifts, the most enjoyable part of the job would have to be that with all the heavy lifting you get into shape quickly and the people I worked with were always kind and no matter the day there was always a laugh to be had in regards to some of the random donations that we received.

The nature of the work itself is difficult and high-stress by definition, working with individuals facing mental health and addiction problems. Management does not do enough to protect employees, regularly understaffing shifts in high risk locales and skimping on security costs. Internal politics are rather naked to a degree approaching absurdity, with management promoting/hiring personal friends or even romantic partners ahead of more qualified candidates.

 For full time or permanent employees the benefits plan is quite generous with vacation allowances, RRSP contributions and an extensive health plan. Pay is quite low for the field, however. 

 Communication between frontline and management staff is poor with a veneer of mutual disdain, concerns (especially regarding morale and safety) are rarely heard or shown much respect. Some management staff directly supervising floor staff buck that trend and are reasonable to work with. 

 The culture of the "floor" employees is quite good and mutually supportive. Even where personalities clash there is the expectation that people shoulder the work equally and back each other up in a crisis. 
 
 Job security is very good for those who obtain permanent status. Those who would be satisfied with the work conditions would reasonably be able to spend years working there.

I was employed here for around two months and it was by far the absolute WORST job I’ve ever had. Firstly, management has their corporate goals set too high, especially for minimum wage, such as the ability to process 700 items per day (which is for solely one employee to achieve) for their BRIC department (such as housewares, electronics, toys etc.) and around 1,500 for cloth for the whole department. There is absolutely no opportunity for doing a variety of tasks, as said from management. You just do the same task and try to achieve their corporate goals day in, day out each day. Management doesn’t listen to employee’s complaints regarding ridiculous expectations regardless of seniority and you’re just another expendable number and replaceable at any time. When four people leave in just a matter of a week, there’s your cue to leave RIGHT THERE. There were people coming into work anxious about getting fired for not reaching those numbers set by the greedy goons of upper management. It was both physically and emotionally stressful for me, as well as my fellow coworkers’ lives. The whole irony of this whole experience is that TSA is supposed to be an organization devoted to making people’s lives better, when it made mine and others’ worse. It has definitely ruined the name and likeness of TSA and it’s mission for “Giving hope today”.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Support worker 13 salaries reported	$26.38 per hour
Residential counselor 12 salaries reported	$26.14 per hour
Retail sales associate 119 salaries reported	$19.27 per hour
Licensed practical nurse 2 salaries reported	$37.77 per hour
Client services 10 salaries reported	$21.53 per hour

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