Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Employee Reviews about "benefit"

Pros

The benefits package is great and comprehensive. New campus is beautiful and gives an appearance of transparency. Location near Space Needle is a bonus.

Cons

No understanding of the difference between leadership and managing/supervising. Non liberal/democrats will be shunned -- in the most passive/agressive manner possible, as this is predominant personality trait at foundation. High-school cliques, bad-behavior, gossip and mis-information determine one's perceived value, as senior-most managers take and any bits of information to churn out what they later call "performance reveiws". HR exists to protect upper management, period. No ability for this entity to assess, resolve, mentor, guide or direct employees that don't see eye to eye to resolution.

Pros

The dedication around the office is unbelievable. I've worked in a lot of charities before, and this tops them all. Great benefits and an improved world.

Cons

Very hierarchal culture; Nothing else

Pros

Meaningful and work Fantastic and smart colleagues Benefits and Salary

Cons

Frequent changes to strategy which result in distraction, anxiety, and turnover Takes a year to understand your job

Pros

The mission (though for those who have spent their lives working at different mission-driven orgs it's not the only one out there with a great mission). No worry about fundraising or resources: the money is there. Lovely campus and great benefits. Some nice co-workers. Great door-opener and looks great on resume. Smart people. New CEO does seem to at least be raising the right questions though it is tough to change this place.

Cons

Exceptionally bad management. Frequent re-orgs. No mentorship, very little chance to move up. Employees are mostly unhappy and morale is awful. No transparency about decisions. Very old school top- down, passive aggressive Pacific NW culture, like MSFT or Amazon. Most people leave in about 3 years and those who stay have made survival their primary purpose. No one really challenges the founders and there is an aura of fear around "what would Bill say". For an organization that works mostly in developing countries or to improve poor public schools, there is very little diversity in staff and certainly in leadership.

Pros

Working at the Gates Foundation comes with a fantastic suite of benefits including 1 year maternity/ paternity leave. To a one, the employees are focused on making the world a better place.

Cons

As the biggest foundation in the world, there’s a fair amount of bureaucracy. The ease of dealing with it is largely dependent on the particular manager.

Pros

Great benefits and ability to partner with incredible communities

Cons

A bit bureaucratic and risk averse; demanding hours and expectations

Pros

Benefits are great and very comprehensive

Cons

Too much staff turnover and hard to get in

Pros

- Great mission; big audacious goals - Incredible campus right near downtown - Many informal opportunities for learning, such as lunch and learn (esp. across silos) - Very good cafeteria - Great benefits and retirement package - Robust culture that keeps you on your toes - Many lessons learned about working with difficult people in a very politically complex environment (see cons)

Cons

I've received invaluable experience; learning how to not manage an organization. If management education programs are about giving you the tools to successfully manage an organization, the foundation abounds with lessons from the other side of the coin. Valuable learning in: - Sustaining a culture of distrust and animosity both between teams and between layers in the chain of command - Spending billions on foreign investments with little to no accountability - Selecting inappropriate technology solutions and rolling them out improperly - Engaging external consultants at a very high price while not setting value expectations - The risks of putting HR in charge of managing an organization's people with no checks and balances The foundation is a total shipwreck, but shipwrecks are valuable warnings to others so they may navigate a safer course.

Pros

Excellent benefits and impact on the job

Cons

Promotions based on tenure rather than performance

Pros

Pay and benefits are fantastic. These include six months of paid parental leave (although it used to be a full year) and a contribution to one's retirement fund of 15% your salary. In effect, this means that compensation is 15% higher that the salaries you see quoted. Also, if you work and live in Washington state, there's no state income tax. They have some very talented and experienced people at the foundation, and the mission, of course, is a very fulfilling and meaningful one. The foundation also has a very good reputation in most places, so it's a good line on one's resume, and contacting people with a foundation email address helps a lot in getting responses.

Cons

Ultimately it's Bill and Melinda who make the decisions. They are very involved in the work of the foundation, and _a lot_ of effort goes into preparing for presenting work to them, and it can be quite a political place. There's also an annual strategy review for most teams, so a lot of energy goes into preparing for that every year. The culture is very different from team to team. Some are amazing and collegial; others are absolutely poisonous, so ask around and have 1:1 conversations with people there before joining a team.