Pros
You’ll meet a handful of smart, talented, and genuine people that care about the mission. Work-life balance (for some) – example: telecommuting is left up to individual mangers; some teams work until 8pm, others leave at 5.
Cons
Independent thought is punished. Unethical fundraising practices. Human Resources that value job security over protecting and being a voice for employees. The fancy office and free snacks do not make up for a lack of leadership, honesty, and respect. Let’s move past the fact that the funding model is not sustainable and they’re at risk of losing all their budget (and that the CEO has no Plan B). Never have I seen a company so full of young minds and energy so underutilized and ignored. Senior staff is so preoccupied with their own job security that they completely overlook or discard the great ideas that could be the source of their collective success – and not to mention, funding. They purposely stifle talent (and complaints of unethical behavior) and push out employees with potential because they find them threatening. The budgets are big enough to do some great things, but most of it is wasted due to outsourcing by senior staff that lack the skills to fulfill their own job responsibilities, and who invest millions in ‘innovative’ ideas straight from 2004. There was a committee formed to improve the culture, but it was disbanded by the CEO when real issues were brought forward. And as expected, most people are miserable, and turnover has been high – of a 70-person firm, 14 people have left in the last year alone.
