It's hard to leave the benefits and job security that are a key component of this organization.
Pros
I am very proud to be associated with Kaiser Permanente for it's model of preventive and integrated health care. There is a strong focus on improving the quality of care provided, and there is a lot of research that has drawn national, and sometimes, international attention. Community service is emphasized and encouraged, and it is expected that employees will give back to the community in terms of time or efforts. There are policies in place to allow employees to take time off to go participate in humanitarian or military service without any negative impact to their career. In addition, the benefits are very good, with a significant amount of vacation time, pension, and insurance benefits. Finally, due to the size of the organization, there are often job opportunities throughout the region, allowing flexibility if needed.
Cons
Some of the concerns that I see are a top-down management style in which the senior-level leadership seems disconnected from what is occurring at a facility level. There are alway multiple initiatives being rolled out, and it can come across as reactive rather than well-planned. As a result, it is often difficult to see sustained culture change. There are also a myriad of meetings, which often prevent the managers from being able to support front-line staff and do the daily work expected. Work-life balance is not encouraged, and there is frequent turnover at a management level. In addition, the union contracts are structured to provide the maximum benefit and little ability to reward excellent performance. As a manager, my experience has been that there is very little support for dealing with performance-related issues.