Go in with low expectations - Anonymous employee Alameda County Probation Department Employee Review

Great mission and good work life balance

Sometimes a lot of last minute requests and communication silos

Benefits with the county, opportunities to transfer to other agencies in different fields, vacation and sick.

Avoid this agency, especially if you are an administrative staff. The agency has no desire to keep happy its admin staff, clerical support, or management analysts. Theses are overworked positions with little or no chance of promoting within the agency, and the executive management doesn’t care. If you want to grow in your career, it will not happen in Probation since the interesting and bigger projects are given to the “favorites” in the agency, or to sworn staff. They will get the experience and are groomed for future opportunities, while everyone else is frustrated. Sadly, many staff don’t share information and compete with each other, and it creates a culture where everyone fails. Workloads under this administration are crushing, and only a few select people get extra help since they are the favorites. There’s a lot of hypocrisy is the agency. For example, we are lectured about treating clients with kindness and like human beings, but management in the technology department is downright mean and degrading towards staff, all while tech staff rotate in and out - and the executive management turns a blind eye.