When I started at Soar I was very impressed by their approach and how it seemed to maintain each client’s dignity and autonomy. While this remained true, it was due to the care delivered on the floor by those of us paid the very least, and taken advantage of the most; I quickly learned that my clients’ well-being would be at the expense of my own.
There are so many specific issues with the company that I don’t even know where to start, but a pretty big one is that NO ONE ENSURES BTs GET THEIR FULL, LAWFULLY REQUIRED (30 min) LUNCH BREAK. The schedule was created to have no gaps between sessions so handoffs happened 1 to ten minutes late every single time, especially since transitions are difficult for majority of young children with ASD. So too often we shorted ourselves and went back to work hungry, because it would take too much time and energy that we did not have to figure out who would watch your client. Clinicians on the other hand were paid well, given hour-long lunch breaks and had fifteen minute gaps between each session to write insurance notes, which we were expected to submit during session or if that wasn’t possible (almost never was), we wrote our notes on our personal UNPAID TIME.
They allowed ONE hour of PTO for every 40 hours worked.
NO HUMAN RESOURCES department was made known to us. That speaks for itself.
Overall I think everyone knew how exploitative and unhealthy the environment was for BTs, but supervisors and clinicians knew to keep their mouths shut if they wanted to keep their jobs. Decisions were always made in the best interest of the corporation—they wouldn’t even send sick clients home, even if they vomited, because that would have meant a loss of profit. There are many, many more woes I could share, but the last thing I will say is this: the founders and higher-ups of Soar know, and take advantage of the fact, that clients/families do not have a better option.
