Acumen Reviews

Pros

People are very nice and dedicated

Cons

Work/life balance can be difficult to maintain

Advice to Senior Management

It can be hard for employees to plan their days when meeting times are constantly moved around

Pros

* Interesting projects
* Challenging work
* Intelligent and motivated coworkers

Cons

* Long hours
* High burning rate

Advice to Senior Management

Add a system for performance review

Pros

A lot of interesting work if you get a great project and a supportive manager/team.

Cons

-I always appreciate constructive criticism about my work BUT when you hear the CEO (because he's yelling about you to others) talking about you behind your back, that's where I draw the line
-You cannot advance at this organization unless you are willing to work over 10 hours a day
-Not economically or racially/ethnically diverse at all.
-A high percentage of employees are 1-2 years out of college. I've worked in places where this is also true but at Acumen I believe it's a disadvantage since many of these employees do not realize that management style can be and should be a lot different. They tolerate more the insanity and work hours because they don't know any better. This was not my first job out of school so I knew that being yelled at and working crazy hours is not typical of all companies, at least not the one's I had previously worked at
-High turnover
-Sink or swim attitude

Advice to Senior Management

There is something to be said of employers that can retain their employees. It's highly reflective of the organization itself. The cost of re-training is high.

Pros

For someone interested in health policy, this is a good place to work. It's the perfect job for someone in need of work experience prior to attending graduate school. The people are (mostly) intelligent. Work environment is casual, and hours are flexible.

Cons

Turnover rate is high, due to the fact that management does a poor job of assigning people to project teams based on their skills and interests. Management makes decisions without inviting input from staff. There is NO formal process for performance evaluations. I was told before I was hired that it's a meritocracy, but I came to realize that people will be awarded with a raise/promotion if they are willing to spend long hours (sometimes sleeping) in the office. And after you get your raise, you better start spending even more time working. Yes, the hours are flexible, but expect to take work home with you if you want to leave the office before 7pm.

Advice to Senior Management

Please learn the concept of management. Put some thought into planning for projects--it takes more time to put out fires than to prevent them.

Pros

super interesting projects; learn great data skills; gain perspective on health policy and data driven policy making.

Cons

passive aggressive, overly dramatic management; lack of control over work load

Advice to Senior Management

start listening to all employees; have an open mind; be more trusting; stop micromanaging.

Pros

You are given the chance to prove yourself in a meritocracy.

Cons

Not a place for those who need or desire coddling.

Advice to Senior Management

Performance reviews and bonuses would help boost motivation and morale. More structured training would prevent people from getting frustrated early on and take the burden off of senior analysts who don't have time to teach beginners how to program.