Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Employee Reviews about "great benefits"

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

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

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

The mIddle- and low-level employees that actually get the day-to-day work done are amazing individuals. Some of the smartest, most compassionate people I've ever met. Great benefits package (5 stars). Salaries are good for those coming from the non-profit world, but no where near where they need to be for the level of work that's being done (1 star).

Cons

Leadership is not interested in employee development whatsoever. They say that each person has a budget allowance for it each year, but in 8 years, none of my requests were ever approved. Management is more interested in paying BIG BIG bucks to McKinsey and the like instead of developing their own talent. Good employees are used and abused and then unceremoniously let go when their positions have been "phased out" due to yet another reorganization.

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

The Foundation provides a great benefits package that is hard to beat!

Cons

Little to no upward mobility

Pros

- Being a part of the mission is inspiring - Benefits are great - It is challenging to work here, which I find very satisfying - We are given amazing resources to do our job - Flexibility - Opportunity to work on really interesting and engaging projects - Opportunity to work with gifted and passionate co-workers - It is always fun to answer the question 'where do you work?'

Cons

- We sometimes over think our solutions and fail to see the simple answer in front of us. - There are a small percentage of employees who lack humility and spread an unblanced amount of negative energy to those they work with. It appears that thier behaviour and attitudes are tolerated by management, which is frustrating. - We rely on temporary consultants for a lot of strategic work and thinking rather than our own internal long term resources. (This is improving)

Pros

* The mission and values of the company can't be beat * All health care covered, including domestic partners * Money Share Account in which 15% of your annual pay is automatically contributed by the foundation * They match your personal donations to charitable organizations by 3xs * Many opportunities for promotion if you are a self-starter and proactive * Lots of parents with young kids work here * Wonderful office/campus (across the street from the Seattle Center) *Great commuter benefits

Cons

*If you aren't liberal or progressive, this is NOT the place for you * Ethnic diversity is low, despite the work we do. Therefore you can feel like a "colonizer" at times. Most of the senior leadership at this (global organization) is white and male- and from South Africa at that. (They just replaced their Asian president of Global Health, and their female president of Global Development with white men- go figure. * Passive-aggressive, but this also reflects the PNW/Seattle area * Lots of Type A people, and many who don't have a lot of personality * They often overhire, i.e., many of the program assistants (admin assist.) have two degrees.