Pros
Good pay for the museum field. World class art collection. Some kind colleagues.
Cons
Toxic culture of resentment and hostility in many departments can make it difficult to form genuine connections and produce meaningful work. Long history of retaliation for speaking up about issues has created an atmosphere of fear, staff are frequently pitted against each other and you end up having to stay vigilant about being “tattled” on by your peers, feels like being back in grade school. Many staff have an uncomfortable juvenile tendency towards mocking people behind their backs (although sometimes it’s to their face!). Upper management enjoy gossiping with and about their own staff. Policies and procedures are rarely well-documented and even more rarely followed if they do exist, plans and decisions are frequently made last minute which creates a frantic atmosphere and furthers aggravated attitudes. It is nearly impossible to have mature, measured conversations about work matters when everything has to immediately escalate to an argument. The high turnover rate that all this produces never does much to change the office culture, since those who thrive on drama and chaos are largely the ones who stay. Staff who do leave due to working conditions are typically cast as the “problem” so the museum can shake off any responsibility for the culture it has created. If you try to complain about discrimination, harassment, or just plain bullying you can expect to be conveniently rebranded as “difficult,” and have not just your job at SLAM but your reputation in the museum field as a whole hung over your head.