I am sorry so many of you are so angry. As many of you have stated, franchises, by definition have the right to operate independently, and I am grateful I work for a very loyal, dedicated owner, who places our CAREGivers above our office staff. I am a HR manager at one of the franchises.

Currently, CGs were given an annual increase, office staff have not had an increase in 3 years. Owner, doesn't always get a paycheck. We have a fun game we play at our meetings that demonstrates to the employees where that hourly charge to the client goes...things like taxes, workers compensation insurance, unemployment insurance, rent, franchise fees, health insurance. The employees are always surprised to see they are the biggest chunk of that hourly charge...the owner gets a whopping 10 cents on each hour billed!

As far as my employees...I'll hold them up to any HISC office. Our retention rate is very high and we're proud of that! I say no to a lot of people I interview. Not only do we background check, check reference, and bond each of our employees, we drug test them. A 9 panel plus oxycoton test. Can't have someone stealing Grandma's medicine can we? And we absorb that cost into our hourly fee, as well!

Recently, one of our employees went to another office to work, and unfortunately experienced some of the same frustrations mentioned here...lack of training, lack of follow-thru from the scheduler on promises of short-notice incentives. However, rather than be bitter and post hateful half truths on a board like this, she called us and asked for advice. We told her schedule an appt. with the owner and the scheduler to discuss the concerns. HISC is all about CG satisfaction. I'm happy to report she is now happily working for that office and all issues have been resolved.

My point? Nothing is solved by this form of communication - good or bad! Make an appointment and go talk to whomever you feel wronged you...chances are it was either not intentional or not real ... just your perception.

First and foremost, to potential clients, don't hire this agency. They never checked ANY of my references. For all they know, I could have lied about all my former work experience. They sent me on the job with ZERO training and without giving me any kind of orientation or even introducing me to the client- their exact words were 'wing it.' Maybe this is because they could tell from talking to me that I am brilliant. But I had NO experience other than babysitting my grandmother occasionally in her final years, and the first thing they did was send me to a nursing home to be with a woman in extreme pain who had just had a SPINAL FUSION. Also, they pay their employees less than half what they charge you ($22.50/hr and up). Get someone from craigslist and pay them $15/hr. These people are a bunch of hacks.

This is, by far, the worst company I have ever worked for. In all their ads, they put in big bold letters '$$$$ $500 bonus for 12-hour shifts $1500 bonus for live-in $$$$' I worked for them, 5 days a week, 12-hour shifts- no overtime-- for 13 straight weeks. As of 6 months later, I have received $25 of that $500 bonus. I called TEN times about it. Most of the time no one returned my calls. When I did talk to the payroll supervisor, I got promises that of course were not kept.

Also, my first ever job was a one-day twelve hour shift on New Year's Day- I was supposed to get paid time and half. Never got the 'half'. No one returned my calls from the payroll office.

Their staff is terrible. I was given ZERO notice that my 60 hour a week job was ending- I found out from the client on the last day, even though the agency had known for quite some time what was happening. I found out, basically, when the transport van came to take her home from the nursing home. They never called me. I had to call them to verify. Then, while waiting for another job, they staffed me on another temporary job. This person needed VERY personal care- which is not supposed to be part of the job description-- and then the crowning glory was, a week after this job ended, they called me and told me that the live-in- whom I was relieving-- had told them she thought I was sleeping on the job. I assured them I had been awake the entire time (overnight). They told me they'd 'investigate further' and then never called me again- even though I had been in constant daily contact with them (when unstaffed) for close to 6 months, working overnight with no complaints whatsoever of sleeping on the job (with plenty of nursing staff at the home to tattle on me) and the three clients I had been with LOVED me and made a point to tell the agency for me.

That was 4 weeks ago. 10 additional unreturned phone calls in the meantime. I had been a model employee- I was called in several times on my 'weekend' and agreed to fill in to help them out, working 72-hour weeks twice- always on time, never left them in the lurch, and just like that, they didn't even have the decency to fire me.

These guys suck. They'll be hearing from one of the many lawyers I have in my family.