préposé au service de soutien personnel

nutritionist

youth worker

construction laborer

mental health therapist

Hatts Off Inc.

I am a former Hatts Off employee; both Relief and Full time since 2016 in residential and foster care. 

I am going to write a balanced review but I will be brutally honest on both sides. 

First I will say that I am proud of the work I have done working with my clients over the years who I have built some very strong relationships. 
This was my first job in the field and it was an exciting time for me to get to work in my chosen career. You get to wear many hats (pun intended), like being a parental figure, a counselor, a caregiver, and a mentor. You will spend most of your job "living with the clients" so you will get to know them quite well; What their strengths and challenges are. 

Most clients are great to work with and you will meet many personalities. The most rewarding moments is when they make that progress. One particular area is when clients and family are able to come together and build better relations. 

I am grateful to have been able to work with some passionate and dedicated staff who always put the clients first. Even in difficult times, I wouldn't want to be with anyone else. 

Unfortunately although you may have many positive experiences, you are likely to have a lot of negative ones as well. This is based on my experience and yours may be differ completely.  

You will only be working with one or two people so hope that you get along with them well or your experience will not be pleasant. You will be spending a lot of time with your co workers which you will get to know them very closely. Your chemistry with them may lead to a great experience or a nightmare. 

Hatts off hires a lot of inexperienced and unqualified staff. Due to high turn over and staff burn out, there are very few veteran staff and most have become supervisors. Relief staff in particular can be very lazy and voluntarily incompetent. Of course for minimum wage, I guess who can blame them? A lot of sitting around on their phones and creating issues due to either no experience or lack of character for the field. Some can also be said for full time staff.

Hatts off allows a job culture of unprofessionalism, laziness and cliques. Often pitting the Good staff against the unprofessional staff with the Unprofessional staff often protected by the supervisor. Management is no better as I have seen misconduct and unprofessionalism from staff and supervisors that should have gotten fired or suspended. 

One supervisor in particular was very incompetent and not invested in the program. The Supervisor often made decisions that set staff up for issues, and not communicating important info to staff that should have been a no brainer!  Not taking responsibility for mistakes and passing them off to others. Making front line staff complete supervisor responsibilities that the front lines staff had no business doing. The Super only included a** kissers into their clique. The Super obstructed the teams for months; disregarding staff concerns, cheating to pass Ministry reviews, then doing an about face to come out as the hero.

Usually my concerns or opinions were dismissed or I was made to look/feel like an idiot because staff or the super didn't want to consider my opinions that were reasonable. More recently, I was fortunate to have a great and experienced shift partner who I worked well with, but overall I did not feel part of the team. I was also very fortunate to have worked with a great team in the beginning of my time at Hatts off. As staff came and went and I moved around, my experiences differed. 

Due to no leadership by the super, my one program was a "captainless ship" which the teams all did their own thing, pitting them against each other and setting staff up for issues. There was no structure, programming, just inconsistency. 

I was a target for bullying, games, and social exclusion by certain unprofessional/immature staff throughout my time at hatts off. I worked at 2 houses full time. 

There is no hope of filing complaints as you risk your career being sabotaged. One supervisor attempted to do it to me (reason for doing it was illegal!) and was protected by management!  

Management also plays games with the budget money, often under-funding the houses resulting in (any competent staff) fighting the supervisor over not having enough money. Sometimes issues with Jipping pay to workers' wages is also an issue.  Of course despite staff with poor character, incompetence and a** kissers, it all starts at the top with Gord (the Owner). (Who one summer put our maintenance crew on hold for the programs so they could build him a cottage deck!) Very Greedy and selfish!  Gord has made it clear that a union would never be allowed to function in Hatts off nor would staff last long who started one. 

 Maintenance issues often go months or even a year before getting fixed and they almost always do a cheap, band-aid job. Fixes and funding that to an intelligent and competent person would seem a no brainer to have done immediately or in the short term, is instead met with management/supervisors fighting staff, or neglect of the issue entirely. 

I will conclude with that if you are looking for work in the field or just coming out of college, use Hatts off as a stepping stone for experience on your resume but nothing more. Avoid if you can. 

There are many great opportunities to do fullfilling work in the field and you will have this in Hatts off but why go there when you can go somewhere else who will treat you with dignity and respect? Money has never been the driving force for me but it is insulting the wage they pay you (Minimum wage), and you get barebones benefits. I could do literally anything else and get paid more! You get paid the lowest possible to do a stressful and at times overworked job. Foster care is even more outrageous as they pay $10 an hour! 

I am proud of the work that I have done with my clients and I have cherished the positive and uplifting moments of my career thus far. Most clients are great to work with, it's just the staff you will likely have problems with. There was some great staff but also some very unprofessional ones. 

I wish everyone the best in their job search or work in the field. It is not said enough that CYWs work hard to provide opportunities and do their best to help youth. Something to be proud of and appreciated. Keep doing the best work possible and I wish that everyone finds a job that they find fullfilling and love their work.

Hatt's Off is characterized by Poor Organization & Bad Management. 
When I first started there, I had only about 4 or 5 hours of what they call "training". This included reading through binders on policies and procedures. It was a crash course and there was so much information that was left out of it that I only learned months into the job, and not by management, but by other child and youth workers. Staff are often not on the same page or of the same mind. There are different teams working every week, and depending who was heading up those teams and managing them, there was often disagreement for how things should be dealt with and how to approach different situations. If management made a decision, they wouldn't let staff of both teams know leading to arguments and drama. A lot of times staff and management on the day shift would set up the afternoon shift to deal with problems so that they wouldn't have to, which led to a lot of stress for the afternoon staff. Some staff would often ignore clients' unacceptable actions which would lead the clients to have favouritism for them as they could get away with doing anything they wanted. It ultimately led to a situation where the clients felt as if they were in charge of the house and could dictate how the day would go. 

They are untrustworthy: 
Like I've seen in other reviews, you will have to hound them to get the money you deserve. You are supposed to get paid for your mileage when taking clients on day trips or for home visits. While I did get some pay, often I would hand in my tracking sheet and it would get "lost", or take months before I was reimbursed, and sometimes I wasn't reimbursed at all. They will try to get away with not paying you for your work as well. If you are working a couple of extra hours and you put it in your time sheet, you have a 70% chance of not getting paid for it. 

Pay: 
They literally do not care about their workers. They try to get as much work out of you as possible with little recognition or support. Your complaints often go unheard and unacknowledged. You will be expected to do SO much for minimum wage. Some days are good, others are terrible. You don't get payed for what it does to you mentally. 

Work Schedule: 
Your work schedule depends on what you are hired for. At a lot of group homes it will be 7 days on, 7 days off (afternoon shifts from 3-11). On weekends you have to sleep over either the Friday night or Saturday, and then are on all day Friday, Saturday & Sunday. You get two weeks worth of pay for working 7 days, but those 7 days are really busy. 

Workplace Culture: 
Totally depends on the group home you get placed in. Sometimes your team will get a long really well together, and sometimes you will be placed with staff who have no idea what they are doing. Burnout is common, and Hatt's Off is always looking for new employees but they don't really care if their new employees have no experience because they are so desperate, and they certainly don't have that great of a vetting process. Sometimes you will be in situations where other staff don't know what they are doing and you have to deal with difficult or even dangerous situations alone. 

I recommend that if you are just getting into social work or want to work in a group home, find one where the person interviewing you can give you references of people who have worked for them before. Do good research and read reviews. Hatt's Off does give you experience, but it isn't really good experience, and the way they deal with people and treat clients isn't very healthy, and doesn't seem very caring. People often come into this job with bad attitudes and are there only for the money. Since they don't get paid that much, they aren't motivated to do a good job. Often staff will just try to pass the time while sitting on the couch. There is a lot of awful stuff that you have to deal with, emotionally, physically, and mentally. 

I am a former Hatts off employee who worked full time and relief. 

As a staff you have many roles to fill as a parental figure, counselor, and care giver. As well as doing paper work. You will work with only a few number of people so hope that you have great chemistry with these people, otherwise it will not be a pleasant experience. It is a very high stress job and if you do not get a long with the other staff it will be even more stressful. 

I will start off by staying this was the first job I had in the field, and I am very appreciative of everything I learned and the positive experiences I had. I am also grateful to the stand out staff who actually cared about their work and were genuine people who gave me inspiration when there was difficult times. I was able to develop great bonds with the clients and was able to contribute in a great way in their lives which I am very proud. 

Unfortunately although you will have some great positive experiences, hatts off has created a cultural atmosphere that allows for certain staff to be unprofessional. First the outrageous minimum wage that the agency pays is just one of the factors into why some staff (mostly relief) are lazy and voluntarily incompetent? This includes sitting around all day on their phone and doing nothing when there are issues present. Also making med errors or being negligent when filling out med paper work. All of it reported but nothing was done. The management was more about making money rather than focusing most of their time on support for the staff and clients. I.e putting high risk youth into programs they don't fit in, simply because the agency will make money off the bed. 

Although there were a select number of staff that I loved working with because of their love the work and being genuine, there more staff there that either were burnt out or didn't want to be there or did not possess the character for this work and they made this clear which set up not only the clients for issues but the staff working with them.  

I was socially excluded and bullied by certain staff while I was there. I  also saw a lot of unprofessional conduct by staff and management. 

With the amount of work you have to do, and the extreme stress you can take on depending on the program, making minimum wage just isn't worth it long term. There is no way you could support a family  on this wage. It really is a slap in the face to the staff there. There is also no real room to evolve in this agency, even as coordinator your pay only goes a up a bit. 

Hatts off also has a history of hiring people who don't have a background in the field or experience which sets up a whole new set of issues. Don't get me wrong, I've seen some people with no education in the field become great staff but I have also seen people hired who create a lot of problems and become habitual issue causers and are protected! 

Depending on the personality and skills of your coordinator or supervisor, your time there could be amazing or a nightmare. (you can have great team work and feel valued or have poor communication and not feel part of the team) 

My suggestion would be if you are coming out of college and you absolutely cannot find a job in the field or perhaps you are looking for something as a placement during college, pick hatts off as a learning experience and a stepping stone to get some experience on your resume. These are my experiences and you may have a great experience while you are there. Or at least making the best with what you are given. Stand up for yourself there and if you have a concern, say it, otherwise you will be walked all over. 

I wish everyone the very best with their job search. If possible avoid hatts off cause there is so many other agencies that pay more and treat their employees with respect.

an essay wouldn't be enough to be quite frank. The worst thing about this company is management. As a support staff you will have House Mentors (basically a den mother) pass on a majority of their obligations, while not fulfilling their roles but collecting cheques meanwhile you're making $15/h to start (unfair wage:responsibility ratio)

Basically how it works is there are staff that do shift work and there is a house mentor. The house mentor is in charge of the house and required to sleep their from mon-thurs + weekends (fri-sun) unless they pay someone work their overnights/weekends. THE AMOUNT OF MENTORS THAT DO NOT SLEEP AND THEIR PROGRAMS and do not have staff to cover so they can still collect the overnight money is absurd - 

sleeping there isn't their only role and good luck finding out what they're obligations are  because they wont tell you. IF YOU KNOW then they'll have to do their jobs

The schedules can be super inflexible - because staff are robots

It is mandatory to participate in the group med plan (which - no surprise - is trash) AND HEADS UP after the 6m mark, if you do not hand in your application within a reasonable timeframe they will automatically charge you family rate of $170 a month vs the single rate of $70. 

How do you know when to apply you ask? They ARE SUPPOSE to send it to you around your 6m , but their communications are also trash so if you don't ask for it, it wont happen and then boom and additional $170 is hopping out that paycheck. 

Their communication 1/10 and on top of that many of HattsOff "upper" employees do not like written correspondence because it leaves a trail. So a word to the wise, keep a journal because you'll get phone calls instead of email and text replies.

They recently started a online timesheet program that has frequent bug issues, and if you don't personally keep track of your hours I can 99% guarantee you will experience issues with your paycheck at least once also note they paid me .35 cents per dollar for gas 

Working here was the worst most unprofessional job to ever make its way to my resume. I no longer want to be a psw because of this company. I feel tremdously upset for the clients here because they are affected by the actions of this company.

THEY ARE INTERESTED IN MONEY NOT CARE. IT IS A SHAME. 

Oh and I almost forgot to speak on the topper of unprofessionalism. The amount of non professional relations in this company. If you are a female and attractive LOL there is one supervisor that will most definitely be in your dm's

They hand out preferential treatment here. If you speak out on the monstrosities going on, good luck. You'll be put in a shiethole because you have become a threat. 

WOULDNT RECCOMMEND TO THE DEVIL HIMSELF

It's so sad. These clients deserve better. They don't truly care about them. The point is to offer support to independence or better quality of life. Some clients will also be in their care so they're okay, but the ones that have the chance to grow - that means loss of $$$$$$ so are they quick to help them … I'll let you think about the rest. 

Good luck to you if you do this or continue to stay. There are better places trust me. There is so much more, but like I said: an essay would not do.

I have experience as a Child and Youth Worker in group homes. I had a very good understanding of the job going into it. 
I was placed in a home - lasted one shift. My main problem was how filthy that home was from top to bottom, I didn't even want to sit anywhere. The location did not work out for me as well. 
I was then placed in another home - again filthy. I understand you cant have nice things in the homes in case of an outburst by a child or used violently etc but ...this was horrible. 
The staff I worked with - I saw some things that were NOT okay and I did not approve of. The way staff spoke to the kids and mentored them was unbelievable. I worked a full week, gave the job a lot of thought. Worked a few more days after that, when I saw the same absurd things everyday morning and afternoon and no changes being made I thought that was it for me. I couldn't go to work everyday being disgusted at the way staff spoke to these CHILDREN and dealt with them when they did something wrong. The fact that Hatts off hired people like this to be a Child and Youth Worker I will never understand. 
Not to mention the staff I worked with in the homes were not very helpful to me. They did not give me the run down of the home, they let me see things and learn. Every person has different backgrounds and a different trauma they experienced - it takes time to get to know each and every kid in the home and they were not helpful in terms of assisting me at all. 
I also felt at times I was babied by other staff. I have experience - let me try to make the situation calm down and then you can come interrupt me and go from there. They did not let me TRY. Every time I was alone with a child solving a problem, the problem got solved. Times when it didn't get solved was because I was constantly being interrupted by other staff thinking I couldn't handle it.
Overall, terrible place to be employed.
Pay was garbage for what you deal with on a day to day basis.

I worked here for almost 6 years in a few different group homes as well as two foster homes. First and foremost, THIS IS NOT A CAREER PLACEMENT. Got it? Good. If you MUST work here, do it for your resume and to throw yourself completely into the fire. I was hired directly out of high school after showing up to an orientation with a friend. They took a look at me, said "Great, we need more guys here" and had me sit in and was working next week. No police check, no interview. Those are their standards. 

My first issue with Hatts Off came regarding their pay. YOU DO NOT GET PAID FOR 6 WEEKS. I wanted to capitalize that because no one will tell you this. My friend and I were dirt poor, sleeping on couches and eating ramen noodles because we ran out of money to get home from work. They need to start telling new staff this so people can prepare for it. My second issue regarding their pay is the amount. My personal philosophy is you get what you pay for. They pay minimum wage, and they receive minimum effort (if that) from their staff. The kids definitely suffer because of this. Non-qualified staff who are burnt out from working overtime and stressed out because they can't afford to live are working in a very high stress environment. It's all a perfect recipe for disaster. 

I have personally seen upper management turn a blind eye to sexual abuse, physical abuse (towards kids and staff). It's all a money making machine for the people up top. They will cut corners, ignore issues and keep everything running on the cheap to make a dollar. The houses are falling apart and no one seems to care. 

I could go on and on for a long time. What I really want to get across is that if you are having trouble getting into the field, Hatts Off will hire you no problem, but give yourself a year or less to get out.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The clients as you meet several during your duration while employed . Many touch your life in ways you never weemeee possible.  Even the clients you feel you failed you will reflect and learn from the situation. It is a shame there is not further training  opportunities and additional supports to allow staff to grow evolve within their role. 


What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Not enough support from management. For example if night shift calls in sick (this happens frequently) staff are told too bad someone from the 8 hour shift just ending is staying for the overnight. Even when staff are clearly upset and unable to have coverage for their own at home .

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Alot of bullying and do as a I say moments  

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Arrive to group if teens asking a bunch of requests
Team meeting update shift change, shift planning
Notify clients what night looks like program plan ,  expectations reminders
After dinner  before clean up Journaling about day 
Chores - showers * unless programming out..2
²reminder afrer SHOWERS laundry can start
Tidy room 
Staff will get for program
Snack
Meds
Bedtime routine
Games/bingo/charades/cards etc 
Pack lunches for school next day 
Bed
Staff to complete remainder of house chores 
Paper work completed 
Medication sign offs
Case notes.
Incident / Medicinal Relorfd
Household repairs if any
Monthly report if due for prime child 
Check lqundry

The house I worked at was amazing and that is why it's not lower. Promises of raises for months with nothing. Without the covid benefit workers are only getting minimum wage with an upheaval  happening to the company currently houses are going down to two employees for four boys. I can see the logic to this as some places run 16 bed facilities I've heard however I do believe with how public some of the environments are for these boys only having two staff to watch them during the day will be a huge safety concern. Something to keep in mind as you consider working for Hatts Off. The budget for the boys was also often a concern I would see coordinators with 400 dollars for food, and other miscellaneous for 6 boys for a week. My final concern is actually with the companies weird religious undertones. I take no issue in what you choose to believe yourself each person should be allowed to follow what they believe. I do not believe it is appropriate to put religions quotes on my pay stubs. There were other instances of this but they were all in person something someone would say nothing I could prove but again pushing your religious values through a document that your employees have to view bi-weekly seems highly inappropriate to me. Good people for the most part just be careful with upper management something is weird there.

Awesome group of staff and clients to work with. Have found that Management is quick to address issues or concerns when brought to them. Have found some "bad apple" staff who complain about wage, feel they should be payed more for less work or feel they should get more money when their qualifications do not even warrant it. These people leave nasty messages to other staff, post online horrible accusations and feedback that is not true. When brought to a supervisor or upper management attention they try to work with these people to support them but these people try to poison others. These people are managed and when they are unwilling to grow and be a positive force on a team and with clients they are let go ( as they should be).
I love this agency it has allowed me to grow, all positions advertised including supervisory or director positions and all front line are internally advertised and open for everyone to apply to.
If your eager to work, motivated, willing to be diverse and open minded and want to advance in a company I suggest you apply here. If you want it you will succeed it is all in your attitude 
Thank You to my supervisor, coworkers and management of Hatts Off

My love for this company is more than words can say. My position is Shift coordinator. This company saves lives and is a hero to many children who have walked through the door of this company. 
I get that everyone has thier opinion, however at the end of the day, you make a difference even if you think you don't. Management do thier best and thier doors are always open, to the kids and staff. 

Their are many different sections in the company that you work. The best part if you need a change all you do is speak up, and they will help you find a more comfortable position.

Mentor, Youth, Foster and you can even become a foster parent. 

If you are fresh out of school and your a spring chicken, this company is a vary good stepping stone to your dreams. Trust me I am living it. 

I can go on and on. About how great this company is. I think if you like this review you should try it out and see for yourself, make your own opinion. You only live once, and making a difference in a life that needs lot of tlc, you are on the great path to your dreams in making  a difference in the eyes of a child, teenager, adult. And yourself....

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