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National Waste & Recycling Association Reviews
Updated May 26, 2023
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Found 16 of over 16 reviews
12% Recommend to a Friend
45% Approve of CEO
Found 16 of over 16 reviews
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Recommend to a Friend
Approve of CEO
Darrell Smith
2 Ratings
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Excerpts from user reviews, not authored by Glassdoor
Pros
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Cons
- "As soon as a good worker comes in and works hard, the CEO is intimidated and fires them." (in 4 reviews)
- 5.0Feb 1, 2022Data Entry ClerkCurrent Employee, less than 1 yearAlexandria, VA
Pros
Great place for the work experience!
Cons
No cons at all great staff!
- 2.0May 26, 2023Anonymous EmployeeCurrent Employee
Pros
Great benefits and a great membership base
Cons
Lots of "chiefs" yet there is little leadership. The CEO is very negative and imposes rules on staff such as curfew and two drink maximum while at work events. The job is different than what was interviewed for.
- 1.0Nov 24, 2015Anonymous EmployeeFormer Employee, less than 1 year
Pros
During the year I worked at NWRA, I was fortunate to work with a few talented and hard-working individuals who cared about a common goal: serving our members. I was also led by a smart and secure boss who empowered me to take on projects and learn new skills.
Cons
Though my immediate boss was wonderful, the CEO of the organization was not as inspiring to work under. She is tremendously insecure, an ageist (if you are younger than 30, do NOT apply for a job here), and does not trust, nor believe in her own staff. I watched her aimlessly roam the halls early in the mornings, looking for staff, making sure they made it into their offices by a certain time, like a babysitter or hall monitor. It was bizarre. Any new approach that might streamline a process or save the company money and resources is picked apart and met with resistance in the form of meetings and more meetings and more meetings. The place is relatively small, with 20 or so staff, and the CEO isn't mature enough, nor does she seem to have enough respect for her staff to give them feedback directly; there was a lot of whispering and messages delivered via other individuals. It was a weird and terrible place to work because of her, which is a shame. Avoid this place, unless they replace the CEO.
6 - 1.0Sep 19, 2015Anonymous EmployeeFormer Employee, more than 1 year
Pros
Except for a few people, the staff at the organization (when I left) was wonderful. The members are really great to work with. The work can be very fun. The camaraderie is real.
Cons
Dysfunction has gripped the organization. Ranging from arguments, backbiting, passive-aggression to outright hope that certain people and projects will fail. Some of this was due to the firing of a popular staffer in November 2014. A lot of it happened as a result of that opening and the decisions of management after that point.
6 - 1.0Oct 21, 2015Anonymous EmployeeFormer Employee, more than 1 yearWashington, DC
Pros
I had some wonderful co-workers, most of whom have since been let go or have found other jobs. The Association does meaningful and important work for the Waste and Recycling industry, but other than that there is no pro of working here. If you love work horror stories to tell your friends, this is a great place to be! I tried to give 0 stars, but apparently you have to give one to submit a review. Take this post as a 0 star rating.
Cons
The management is awful. No trust from the CEO to the other employees. Complete lack of disrespect. As soon as a good worker comes in and works hard, the CEO is intimidated and fires them. Especially if you're young, don't even bother looking here because you will be treated like trash by upper management. Just to give a taste, since May 2015, I believe 10 people have either been fired or found other jobs. It's a 20 person office, so really, 50% retention rate over a few months should give you enough information to stay away.
11 - 1.0Sep 2, 2016Anonymous EmployeeFormer Employee, more than 1 year
Pros
For the first year and a half, I worked with a great team who were collaborative and committed to the membership. Additionally, the members were great to work with.
Cons
If you are seeking appreciation for your contributions and want your suggestions to be heard and acted on, then this is not the place for you. The senior leadership (I use this term loosely) are interested in their own agenda and will not hesitate to claim your ideas as their own. The CEO is very insecure and thinks everyone is talking behind her back. I was employed at the association for over 2 years and during my tenure, over 50% of the staff left or were laid off. As a result, all of the work was dumped on existing employees. It became so intolerable that I found a new job and made a quick exit.
5 - 1.0Oct 1, 2016DirectorFormer Employee, more than 8 yearsWashington, DC
Pros
It used to be a place where staff stayed for decades. It was like a family and everyone was committed to both the success of the association and the industries they represented. It was a pleasure to have been part of this group when it was an effective force in DC and in the states.
Cons
This place is no longer a player in the advocacy spheres it once largely controlled. Other groups now do a better job representing the waste and recycling industries. The current staff and board leadership lack a coherent vision and any realistic plans for achieving success. And they treat staff terribly, systematically blaming team members for failures resulting from their own management blunders. It is toxic there. Aa a result, there has been incredible staff turnover in recent years, and almost no legacy staff remain.
3 - 1.0Jul 12, 2016Anonymous EmployeeFormer Employee, more than 8 years
Pros
I wanted to give a 0 rating but I had to give some kind of rating. Consider this a 0 rating.
Cons
This organization was a wonderful wonderful place to work. We had amazing camaraderie with not only the staff but the members. The new CEO has run the place into the ground. She is insecure, a poor manager, and can't make any decisions by herself. She has trusted the worst person on earth, whom she should have done a background check on. This person is a bully and has forced good employees out. This person has continued to harass current employees. It borderline abuse. So many former employees can't understand how the board has put up with this. The place is a toxic horrible shadow of what once was a great organization.
4 - 1.0Nov 5, 2015Anonymous EmployeeFormer Employee, more than 1 year
Pros
There are some amazing, smart, talented people that work there. At one time these people were allowed to work together and got the job done. The members are great!
Cons
Most people that are still there are looking for new job. They just did a layoff and let go of three people after about 4 others left within two months. The communications team is pretty much running everything and running the company to the ground. These people lie, cause drama and don't get their work done. There is a lack of money so trying to get stuff done is very difficult. The place is just sad. Don't work their unless you want to be underpaid, disrespected and harassed.
9 - 2.0Mar 27, 2015Anonymous EmployeeCurrent Employee
Pros
Compensation and benefits are average for a Washington trade association. Bonuses are like dark matter: You're told they exist, but few have seen them and they're hard to detect.
Cons
CEO does not listen to opinions that are not her own. She will determine the outcome that she wants and then steer the entire conversation/decisionmaking process/team to support that position. Budgets are tight and it's difficult to get anything approved.
8
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National Waste & Recycling Association Reviews FAQs
National Waste & Recycling Association has an overall rating of 1.8 out of 5, based on over 16 reviews left anonymously by employees. 12% of employees would recommend working at National Waste & Recycling Association to a friend and 17% have a positive outlook for the business. This rating has improved by 2% over the last 12 months.
12% of National Waste & Recycling Association employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews. Employees also rated National Waste & Recycling Association 3.0 out of 5 for work life balance, 1.8 for culture and values and 1.6 for career opportunities.
According to reviews on Glassdoor, employees commonly mention the pros of working at National Waste & Recycling Association to be career development, senior leadership, benefits and the cons to be workplace, culture.
