RTI International Employee Reviews about "improving the human"
84% would recommend to a friend
(21 total reviews)
Tim Gabel
91% approve of CEO
What people are saying about RTI International
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Top Review Highlights by Sentiment
Excerpts from user reviews, not authored by Glassdoor
- "The people here are great and I hope to retire from here like so many others have done." (in 87 reviews)
- "Senior leadership lacks knowledge and experiences to lead teams — overworks middle managers and takes credit for staff successes." (in 12 reviews)
Ratings by Demographics
This rating reflects the overall rating of RTI International and is not affected by filters.
Found 21 of over 1K reviews
Updated Nov 27, 2023
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Reviews about "improving the human"
Return to all Reviews- 4.0Oct 9, 2020Research AnalystCurrent EmployeeRaleigh, NC
Pros
Conducts research and development in a wide array of fields. Client-centered. Growing. Varied locations throughout the US. Non-profit with a mission to improve the human condition. Empowered female leaders.
Cons
Siloed. Corporate. Little diversity outside of gender and region. Collaborations weakened among team members scattered across the country. Engaged in a long and sometimes inconsistent effort to (re)define itself. Overdependent on government contracts. Surprisingly focused on growth, competition and the bottom line for a non-profit.
- 1.0May 16, 2017Anonymous EmployeeFormer Employee
Pros
Company has a great mission in improving the human condition.
Cons
IT senior leadership is not interested in improving the human condition.
4 - 4.0May 2, 2017Communications SpecialistFormer Employee, more than 5 yearsRaleigh, NC
Pros
RTI was a great place to work and had wonderful benefits. I was promoted and given raises on a regular schedule. Management was fair. During my exit from the company the human resources department was extremely professional and helpful.
Cons
I was an offsite contractor and often felt disconnected from the company.
- 5.0Jun 8, 2020Senior Administrative AssistantCurrent Employee, more than 3 yearsResearch Triangle Park, NC
Pros
RTI culture one of the best around. Employees care deeply about improving the human condition through science and research. Leadership is very involved and transparent about stances on current events, the need for employees to practice self care and balance life and work. RTI provides many onsite amenities for RTP area and works to provide similar considerations for offices in other states. They stand behind having employee resource groups and are committed to listening to the issues that affect diverse populations at RTI and strive to be inclusive. They have generous paid leave at the time of employee which increases over time.
Cons
Some health benefits are not as great as other companies I have worked for, though they are not bad. I currently do not use the RTI health care payer as several of my previous doctors ended up being out of network and the co-pays were higher at other providers.
RTI International Response3yThank you for the review! We pride ourselves on the great culture that we have and it is because of our great employees that make the organization a great place to work. We also review our benefits offerings on a regular basis, making changes where possible.
- 5.0Jan 26, 2021Research DirectorCurrent EmployeeResearch Triangle Park, NC
Pros
RTI takes its mission to improve the human condition to heart and demonstrates this towards their work and their staff. There is a low turnover rate and staff take great pride in delivering high-quality work on their projects. I love the flexibility in my job that allows me work-life balance and the ability to work around family obligations when needed. Excellent salary and benefits.
Cons
Growth sometimes depends on opportunity, but it comes with hard work and patience.
2 - 3.0Jan 17, 2021Business Development ManagerFormer Employee, more than 10 yearsDurham, NC
Pros
The mission of “improving the human condition” is admirable and engaging . It is an organization that develops policy, science and technology that really does make a difference.
Cons
Unfortunately, the company suffers from an entitlement management approach. With PhDs at the helm, at every level, this contract research organization unfortunately fails to see the realistic intersection of science and business, the latter frequently being considered as afterthought. As a business professional / non-scientist, one will find better opportunities to partner and contribute elsewhere.
6 - 3.0Apr 5, 2016Project Management SpecialistCurrent Employee, more than 3 yearsWashington, DC
Pros
Great colleagues who are truly experts in their fields; many exciting opportunities for travel; highly innovative work environment - RTI is willing to invest in good/profitable ideas. Many staff are truly dedicated to RTI's goal of improving the human condition.
Cons
Very top heavy with little advancement or appreciation of junior and midlevel staff - promotions aren't common and career pathways aren't clear. Many must leave the company, work elsewhere, and then return before they can expect any real change in compensation or responsibility. Work life balance is also non-existent for many employees, especially in the International Development Group (IDG). Those working in IDG may also find that the corporate approach to development is generally more profit-driven rather than human driven.
5 - 2.0Sep 12, 2017Anonymous EmployeeCurrent Employee, more than 3 years
Pros
RTI's mission to improve the human condition; good benefits; some schedule flexibility
Cons
Many people tasked with tearing down the silos are the ones building them back up. The business units are disjointed and often competitive instead of collaborative. Management lacks training and leadership doesn't seem to notice. HR doesn't seem to intervene regardless of numerous complaints and good employees resigning. The culture overall isn't what it used to be and continues to decline.
2 - 5.0Dec 16, 2021Field InterviewerFormer Contractor, more than 3 years
Pros
Pay. Supervisors are human! Training
Cons
Not enough work in area.
- 4.0Sep 8, 2013Research Environmental ScientistCurrent Employee, more than 5 yearsResearch Triangle Park, NC
Pros
- If you have a supportive staff manager and have built up a strong reputation for your work product, you are given project management opportunities and freedom to delve into business development. - You can get support for professional development opportunities and conference attendance, but you need to show a consistent track record of success; otherwise, you're turned down. - Potential for international work if you're not in IDG. - On-campus cafeteria, walking paths, intramural sports teams, and gym are nice amenities if you use them. - Some incredibly smart people work here and some will actually donate their personal time for mentoring. - It's easy to get settled in and stay forever; hence the reason there are so many people that have been here 10+ years. - The PDAs and IR&Ds are a great way to reinvest in employees and increase collaboration. - There are some fantastic staff managers (and some not so fantastic, but at least smart managers). - The salaries and benefits are ok, less salary than for profit companies, but am assuming we get better benefits and 403(b) contributions. - Access to e-journals (e.g., ScienceDirect) facilitates professional development and learning.
Cons
- There is a clear distinction between PhDs, those with Masters, and those with Bachelors. While I think this is justified when it comes to your area of expertise, but it shouldn't be a limiting factor for upward mobility and idea-sharing. I've been talked down to too many times presumably because I'm a young female or because I don't have a PhD and therefore my ideas aren't worth the same consideration. - You can get stuck doing the same repetitive tasks and projects for years and years because it's easier to keep someone in one place than to work a little bit to transfer knowledge. - Very little racial diversity. - Sexism is present, but not prevalent, across all units, particularly in the labs/scientific research fields and when choosing among the potential project management candidates. - My particular unit is too heavy on government work (~80% gov) and despite the push for more commercial work the past 5+ years, we've made little progress in diversifying. - Very top heavy in some groups because staff will stay here for decades. This can be taken as 'what a great place to work' or that the work's easy enough to stay doing the same thing for years. Staff can end up with less competitive work experience compared to companies that are more involved in commercial, innovative, and cutting-edge work. - It can be quite antisocial depending on where you sit or where your home office is (i.e., all those not on the main RTP campus). - The financial hierarchy discourages collaboration between groups within the same unit and definitely does not lead to any cross-unit collaboration. In fact, because of the FY2013 sequester, I have seen many groups hoard work and staff projects based on immediate group availability rather than expertise. - Not much time spend on work plans or career development. If you don't like what you're currently doing, you really have to hustle to get on other projects, especially if the contracts you want to get on are coming out of different groups. - RTI is primarily focused on their non-management staff staying sold and making a profit despite their non-profit status. We are not a philanthropic organization and very little money flows into things that could actually 'improve the human condition'. We will improve the human condition, but only if someone pays us. RTI is an expensive organization to work with and I haven't been able to fully understand the reasons why, but it's frustrating to lose projects due to cost again and again despite all the efforts taken to reduce costs by underbidding the experts.
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