Complaint Review: The Bridges Center

I accepted a full time position as a Psychometrics with benefits for the Bridges Center in December 2010 after resigning from a hostile and detrimental work environment from a previous employer to which they committed the same offense as the Bridges Center. To which they had to fully compensate for in DeKalb County Court. I received my first pay two weeks after my hiring date. We were paid bi-weekly for our labor. I was approached by staff members to which they informed me that the Bridges Center has a poor history of reaching their payroll goals. When it was time for me to receive my second paycheck I was overlooked or was I. I was told that this would be handled. In continuance, I never received my second or third paycheck. I was terminated by Elaina Winfrey's Assistant not HR! She expressed that I was creating a hostile work environment and not living up to the Bridges Center Mission statement because I asked for a gas card to get to work due to their lack of adequate funding to pay their staff. A vast majority of the staff are as low as them as they continue to assist the Bridges Center in their scheme of non payment. 

 Dr. Winfrey sent out a few emails stating, " The accounting department is currently understaffed, and receives a large volume of calls for which the current staffing does not have the capacity to response to.
D W, Lead Accounting Specialist, is only available to answer questions related to:
-W-2
Receipt
-Questions regarding discrepancies in amount of pay already received. Ms. Williams has been asked to not answer any other payroll or accounting related questions, and direct those questions to Dr. Winfrey, until the department is fully
staffed Again, any other questions must be directed Dr. James Winfrey at jwinfrey@thebridgescenter.comThank You.Good
Afternoon,
 
Due to the decline in Direct Care staff not meeting productivity standards, adequate cash flow, payroll for many non-direct care staff will be delayed.
Only Direct Care staff and new employees received compensation for the 1/14 payday today. 
Payroll for remaining staff is contingent upon staff productivity over the next 2 weeks with a targeted goal of 85% productivity.
As income is received from staff productivity through service provision (billing), payments will be made each day to staff as revenue is received. 
In the event that staff are not productive at 85%, this deficiency will continue to affect TBC being able to compensate in a timely manner.
 
 

Respectfully,
 
Dr.
Winfrey
 
 
 
Dr. James
Winfrey, LPC
Chief
Operating Officer
The Bridges
Center, Inc.
3855
Presidential Parkway
Atlanta, GA 
30340
770 - 451-
6838 - Office
770 - 451-
7804 - Fax
www.TheBridgesCenter.com
From: Kayisha Thompson
 
 
Mr.
Winfrey,
 
In regards to the matter below, when should I expect to be compensated? Do you at least supply gas cards until we are fully compensated? At this time, I can only check my email in the office as my home internet is down as I couldnt pay it
yesterday??? "

IMAGINE, your putting in your time and labor in a work environment and your not being compensated for it. I am sickened by the lack of humility, morality, and adequate judgement from the vast majority of Mental Health agencies here in Metro Atlanta. I am disgusted perhaps the CEO's are the ones that are in need of their own services. Ultimately, the workers and the clients suffer. The Bridges Center is a Mental Health Agency servicing children and their families struggling with Mental Health Disparities. FYI to the parents, probation officers, judges, school counselors when these children continue to suffer or fail to become successful from counseling go to this website http://www.apsero.com/ and pull up the counseling agencies audit. If their audit score is below an 80-85 percent know that something is amiss!  To this day, the bridges center still owes me for my labor and I haven't received a response from them. I will be pursuing legal actions against this agency.