Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Employee Reviews about "colleague"

Pros

Going to work everyday is like going to school. There are so many great colleagues and experiences to learn from. It's also exciting to work towards ambitious goals.

Cons

Collaboration is hard and we can be also risk-adverse.

Pros

The mission The amazing grantees you get to interact with Brilliant and committed colleagues Great benefits Nice offices and location The opportunity to constantly grow brain cells Resources People outside of the organization are impressed and interested in your work

Cons

When you are inside you begin to realize that the emperor has no clothes. It is a fast-paced, mean, competitive culture where people with no life outside of work excel. I began to feel like I was on survivor. I was great at my job, but the process, bureaucracy, hierarchy, constant spin and changing of directions was disheartening and made my work difficult. The worst part was watching the effect on my grantees and the field. The leadership and management are horrible. Yelling, fist pounding and insults from management and leadership are tolerated. HR is not to be trusted. The slogan is "every life has equal value" but that must only be true outside of the doors because inside there are definitely lives that are valued above others based on pedigree and position.

Pros

-Inspiring mission with ability to connect your work every day to that mission -Opportunity to do interesting and novel work constantly; if you are willing to lean in to it, you can find tons of ways to add value -Amazing benefits - frankly, I can't imagine finding better ones anywhere -Smart and motivated colleagues -Decent work/life balance (somewhat depends on your team but if you're willing to set personal boundaries, people generally respect them) -Senior leadership's priorities are in the right place

Cons

-No clear or logical pathways for promotion -Job title in the program officer family can feel arbitrarily assigned -Visible voices and charisma are valued over quality of work execution; translates into a culture where men are systematically valued over women -You need a manager who values your work and advocates for you to move ahead; if you don't have that, you are out of luck -They over-hire and hire often without a clear idea of what folks will do when they get there -Senior leadership priorities don't always get translated to action that makes sense

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

- brilliant and dedicated colleagues - amazing benefits, including healthcare for my family and hefty retirement account contributions - fulfilling work -- with an inspiring mission

Cons

- high expectations, sometimes feels impossible - deadline driven and can be a high stress environment - frustrating bureaucracy that can slow down productivity - top heavy org structure, often lacking support roles

Pros

great benefits -- healthcare, parental leave, retirement, etc. amazing colleagues and overall extremely rewarding work.

Cons

not a lot of growth opportunity for lower level employees

Pros

Amazing colleagues; working on high impact initiatives

Cons

Internal competition and too much organizational change

Pros

Important mission Talented and experienced colleagues

Cons

Layers of process slow down effectiveness

Pros

Great benefits Amazing mission Smart and devoted colleagues

Cons

Lack of leadership Inefficient processes Culture of perfectionism

Pros

You get to work with extremely smart and impressive colleagues. You get to invest in creative entrepreneurs and innovators who are trying to change the world for the better.

Cons

It takes almost a year to earn "your operating license" within the organization and too much time is spent on internal process versus investing and working with the field to maximize impact.