lifeguard

swim instructor

cook

partner

camp counselor

YMCA Calgary

The YMCA was a great place to work when I joined 1 year prior to Covid. Management was always supportive (minus senior leadership) and we always had a great team who made everyone feel like family. However after Covid hit and our first shutdown that all went out the window. Senior leadership became more and more detached from reality, and more and more detached from their frontline staff. I genuinely feel let down, and used by the leaders of what used to be a fantastic charity organization. We used to always put people first, but now its all money first, staff last. Positions are eliminated with no warning or reasoning, staff are left to fend for themselves with little to no guidance from senior leadership who have to this point become so detached from the situation at the frontlines, that staff are left feeling hopeless. 

The thing that frustrates me most is I have met, and worked with some of the best people I have ever met in my time at the YMCA, however that ends at the branch level for the most part. I have seen some of the kindest, most generous people I have ever met get torn down and made to feel small because of a toxic leadership style from those above the branch level. This applies across the board, no matter what department you turn to. None of us took jobs at the YMCA to get rich, we do it because of the culture we as frontline staff build every day, for the people we work with, the family we made, but all we asked for in return was even a minutia of compassion, or respect from our senior leaders (all the way up to our CEO) and in return got nothing. 

In my opinion there has been a massive lack of leadership at the YMCA, and hopefully that will be changed. however all we have seen is a "listening tour" that we are required to register for with our names prior to attending to speak to senior leadership which just again creates a vacuum of ideas, and stifles people from expressing how the YMCA has effected them personally, professionally, mentally, etc. IF senior leadership truly was interested in listening, it would not have taken two years, and an absolutely abysmal employee feedback survey to do it. 

leaders lead from the front, bosses lead from the back. We have too many bosses, and not enough leaders. 

CCH is located in a difficult location far from everything, it doesn’t really matter because you CANNOT leave Camp never unless is your day off, the free accommodations go from absolutely terrible to barely okay (depending your standards), no Wifi for employees and overall you get paid less money than you can get staying in the City.
On top of that, you have to pay your own First Aid Certification and Criminal Check before they let you in.
CCH doesn’t seem to operate like the rest of the YMCA locations, the management doesn’t care for their staff, everyone is a temporary inconvenience for them, except for the very few people that is their friends and they like. The Management treats people very differently according to how they like them, Camp can be really good for some but there’s a large group of people who won’t make it until the end of the contract.

Food is pretty bad, just really cheap meals lacking any nutritional value 3 times a day. Same menu every week, half the time you get leftovers from last week.

The worst area to work at is definitely the Kitchen due to terrible Management.

There’s plenty of great people within the staff, lots of opportunities to make new friends, unless you work in the Kitchen and you are never considered for any fun activities.


I really enjoyed my coworkers and the pace of the job. The schedule was fairly flexible and the training was quick and easy. 

In 2020 I took a leave of absence from my job to for reasons that were accepted from both parties and with the promise to have my position upon return due to the legalities of my leave of absence and the reason for which I was gone. 

2020 was a crazy time so I’m not upset they wouldn’t give me my job back so much so as the lack of communication and not being told till I pressed for answers. Not long before my return to work date did I get informed that I would not be returning. It was made to seem like I would be as I had been given a time period in which I’d be returning. I was disappointed at the treatment I received after working for them for so long. 

I loved working here and definetly work here again. I got the chance to Vollenteer and Work at the YMCA and it was the best working experience I have had. The people are great and the managment are so understanding. Of cource it depends on the field you are in but I worked in Childminding, Preschool and Member Services and it was a really good work enviroment. They are organized and it makes your job alot easier. The higher managment is supportive as well which makes the job feel safe and easier on you.

The highest leadership at YMCA Calgary is seriously misguided, and when those notions trickle down, it makes for a very toxic workplace. The teams that operate together are like family and you will come to rely on one another to survive the dictatorship at the top. Pre-covid, the Y was a respected charity, and now, it’s an exclusive membership money grab. The front line staff are intensely overworked and deeply underpaid. The Y can be a good stepping stone on your way to bigger and better things, but the management will only see you and the other staff as chess pieces.

During my time at the YMCA, I found the team to be supportive and enjoyable to work with, which made the day-to-day environment positive. However, the management style was highly directive, with limited opportunities for staff to offer input or suggestions on how tasks could be approached. This may suit individuals who prefer clear instructions and a structured workflow, but for those who value collaboration and having a voice in process improvement, it can be challenging. Overall, while the work culture may not encourage much employee input, the people you work alongside make a significant positive difference.


For a people-focused organization that claims to be caring and value respect, I was constantly amazed at the Seton Branch General Manager and Business Manager’s hostility towards staff and volunteers. During my time at the Seton Branch, I never had one positive interaction with these individuals. This is unfortunate because there are elements of this organization/branch that could be enjoyable. 


If you like change and working with people  you will enjoy the Y!  There is a lot of opportunity for growth and development and it is a great organization for the community.  The growth of the association in a short period  resulted  in some catching up of systems and processes to support the size of the organization.  I enjoyed my experience at the Y but ultimately left because the salary was less than I felt a manager should receive.

This is a fun place to work, depending on your coworkers and manager. Benefits are really good, but salary is low compared to the same job at other companies. Often short staffed and it puts a strain on the other staff members, lots of burnout. They have been trying their best to recognize the work we’re doing, which I appreciate, but we just need more staff to help cover vacation/sick days. 

first of all, DO NOT WORK IN THE KITCHEN. Poor communication between workers and bosses. Bosses constantly trying to distract you while you are working. Horrible food, half of it is pure sugar. (we are giving this to kids three times a day by the way.)
Colleagues are very nice and easy to get along with, very easy to make friends/have contacts. Free coffee and staff accom.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Lifeguard 4 salaries reported	$17.10 per hour
Swim instructor 5 salaries reported	$16.97 per hour
Cook 1 salary reported	$17.75 per hour
Partner 4 salaries reported	$64,350 per year
Camp counselor 4 salaries reported	$15.75 per hour

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