shelter worker

support worker

building services attendant

janitor/maintenance

outreach worker

Lookout Emergency Aid Society

What is the best part of working at the company?
There are not many good things about working here. They were short of shop stewards and pleaded with me to become a shop steward. Then when I did become a shop steward I wasn't appreciated and the communication with the union was poor. They didn't reach out to offer support for shop steward training, and even though I did well in my shop steward position they abruptly informed me that I was no longer a shop steward as I missed a "nomination by-election" that I wasn't even aware I needed to be part of. The building that I worked in was neglected with pipes leaking constantly and management couldn't care less about needing to do the necessary renovations. Fortunately, my colleagues and I worked in an office where management didn't come by to look over our shoulders too often. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
They were very slow with coming up with our retro pay cheques. They were supposed to have them issued by May, but were the last health employer to finally issue the cheques. I received mine in late November. Management was difficult to deal with, and I was constantly getting calls from frustrated employees when I was a shop steward. There is very low morale there. Also, when I left management said that they no longer write referral letters for employees (the only company I know that doesn't do this). And when I left there was no going away lunch or potluck reception (I was just informed of my last day of work and that was it). 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
One of the worst I've been a part of. There is a lot of complaining and some employees are always looking for things to report to management about other employees. There is a weekly small prize giveaway, but in the many years I've been there I've never won anything and neither have the people in my dept. That just kind of makes morale even worse. And some of the employees were working the same number of hours in their shifts, in the same position, but getting paid for working more hours than their counterparts. And this has been going on for years.  

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Doing a variety of activities with clients. There were movie nights, Friday night social events, Bingo, community dinner, BBQs and other events. These happened occasionally, and in addition meds were given out, clients were reminded of appts, they were assisted with cleaning their rooms, incidents were charted on, there was.a daily client contact sheet, a daily shift report logged on the computer, and clients were assisted with things like finding housing and employment in coordination with their O/R teams. And items were put through the bedbug sauna as part of. bedbug protocol. This was in addition to doing new intakes and documentation of progress notes in their charts.

I’ve been with the company for a number of years and have done my fair share of work at different sites and experienced different management styles and interacted with staff and clients from all walks of life. Here are a few things I would like to note.
1. The company does a great job in supporting all staff for any reason at all, physical (there are free massages and boxing classes), emotional or trauma related support, work related, they even have leave for weddings! 

2. Staff are pushed to be better versions of themselves, I started with the company as a casual staff member and have had my fair share of promotions since. Once you are capable of being a good role model you will have full support to take charge. 

3. Open door policy, which might sound surprising but staff members are able to meet and see the CEO in a monthly meeting , ask any burning questions they have or get any issues they have ironed out, this policy also applies to managers. 

4. My last point is that staff members are strongly supported by the union BCGEU. If for any reason staff feel they are treated unfairly they can grieve it and have union representation.

Lookout is a great company to work at if you have a passion for helping and supporting people in need, there are some limitations regarding some facilities (some need upgrading) however the company is always making strides to enter new programs to better serve the community. 

The different cross qualifications are nice, from shelter, residential, addiction mental health and more. The CEO is awesome, he takes time once a month to do a virtual meeting with staff who have questions and twice a month does a virtual for public and clients to ask questions. The society does amazing work and absolutly loves their participants in all the different programs. The staff for the most part are truly amazing, compassionate people.
Middle management(coordinators) definitely talk a good game but the actions are the polar opposite of being supportive. Middle management definitely do everything they tell their staff not to do, they say they have your back but take the first chance they can to throw you under the bus. If you ask for help with promotions, it's almost like you then become a target for trouble.
This is also a unionized position so promotions got to senior applicant even if they don't do a great job, over someone who out works that person. The pay should be higher due to all the different things staff deal with in a day from life saving interventions, cleaning, cooking, peer support to at some sites even cleaning up feces.
If you want to move up fast this isn't the place to do it!

There are too many organizations working in one place to really feel like a cohesive organized workplace. You don’t really know who runs which part of the site operations. Pay is below average for health and community services. Training for things like violence prevention and cultural sensitivity were offered late or not at all. Lookout management does not feel like they are on your side. SOLID management was rarely present. There was no consistent union steward or representative for the site. Boundaries for clients were not consistent among staff and also things like violence alerts for clients were not consistently applied or documented. Confusing and inconsistent messaging around overtime. Little opportunity for advancement and management never seemed very happy. Made me quit health and community services. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
A very rewarding line of work to be in and the pay and benefits are great. The company does lack some basic training and knowledge sharing during the on-boarding stage and you are feeling a bit lost. Some locations are definitely better than orders to work at and everyone develops their favourites. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The lack of pertinent information provided during training. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
For the most part it’s great however there are some employees that are only there for the money and it shows in how they treat shelter guests. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
There isn’t a typical day, each one is different. Clients come and go so the dynamic of the shelter is always changing. It can be challenging and stressful at time but very rewarding.

This is a non-profit for Christ sake. Have we no shame. Management consistently prioritizes cost-cutting over staff support, leaving employees to work shifts alone that require two people to avoid paying overtime. The organization operates with a corporate mentality, prioritizing cost over client care, and masking resource cuts under the guise of promoting independence. Staff are often forced to pay for essential items like gloves out of pocket without timely reimbursement, while underpayment is framed as their own fault. Communication is impersonal, relying on emails instead of meaningful in-person connections, further highlighting the lack of genuine support for employees.

What is the best part of working at the company?
There is no "best part" about working for Lookout. They are a large corporate-structured non-profit housing provider. While they do good work, they are like every other large company, top-heavy and hyper focused on growth.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Management. It can be a hard job, however a hard job with a good manager can be bearable. Ineffectual management just makes things 10x harder.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Culture is corporate, hierarchical.

The management is horrible and you will never feel supported. Constantly understaffed and if you make the smallest error you will be called up to the office for a meeting (bring a shop stew)  the team can be great but gets little clicks in different places. Not very welcoming and it seems they are more concerned with what their coworkers are doing rather than help the clients we serve. Lack of empathy from staff for clients extremely inappropriate behaviour! And if you want an advancement it’s who you know not what! 

What is the best part of working at the company?
A conducive and non-judgemental environment for work

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
I will not call it stressful; I would rather say that the level of commitment is very high, it will not profit people who find it very difficult to commit to their basic responsibilities.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very Accommodating, and void of racial discrimination.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
It is exciting and full of opportunities to help people in need.

I loved working with the clients, the staff and the job security made possible by a strong union. The new leadership is kind of slimy  though and the organization is getting more and more corporate as it expands. Lots of talk and photo ops but limited heart. More of a focus on quantity over quality with the services and little value for creativity and community. If you toe the party line there is room for advancement but you may have to bury your values if you prefer a grassroots approach and prioritize activism and critical thinking.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Shelter worker 155 salaries reported	$28.82 per hour
Support worker 185 salaries reported	$32.49 per hour
Building services attendant 58 salaries reported	$27.84 per hour
Janitor/maintenance 57 salaries reported	$26.09 per hour
Outreach worker 57 salaries reported	$32.49 per hour

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