University of Washington Employee Reviews about "work environment"

Pros

Good working environment; Competitive salary; Strong research atmosphere

Cons

There are too many students, and the campus is a bit crowded.

Pros

The working environment is inclusive and positive.

Cons

The job itself is a little repetitive.

Pros

Flexible and less intense working environment.

Cons

Nothing really bad about this.

Pros

Beautiful campus. Comfortable working environment.

Cons

The university is lacking a comprehensive management system. The low administration working efficiency is also well-known. One example: among all the public universities, UW is one of the few schools that don't have a drone policy. Another example: if a unit is seeking help to produce a video, UW Video charges the unit over $4000 per video. That is not the right way to operate a school. Everything is operated in a... profiting method. The units are not really organized. And central does not care details happening in staff and student (client) level. Student life, staff life, and campus operation...a lot of details are not being seen. What the school only cares,.... is donors.

Pros

The working environment is pretty good.

Cons

Salary is kind of low.

Pros

Flexible schedule for students, coworkers are helpful and a joy to work with, and a good work environment

Cons

We were overstaffed at one point so it was difficult to get a decent amount of hours to work

Pros

Although much depends on the department you work in, overall, there is a positive and collegial working environment, with friendly students and staff. The UW is a world-class research institution with amazing research and continuing education opportunities, state of the art equipment and access to some of the top minds in many disciplines via department lectures, conferences and other events. It is a breath of... fresh air working with students and helping to train the next generation for the world's future challenges. The health, pension benefits and other fringe benefits are very good. Work life balance is generally good, but it depends on your immediate boss and group/depeartment.

Cons

The salary is lower than a comparable salary in industry regardless of your experience. There is also some politics with access to certain benefits. For instance, staff that belong to a union receive free bus passes, while those that are not part of a union (you have no control over whether you join a union or not, it depends on how your job is classified and no one asks you if you agree when you accept a job offer)... do not. The best parking spots are reserved for faculty, staff are generally required to park at least a 10-15 minute walk from the garage nearest to their office because there are not enough spaces. Office space is also often at a premium although this depends on your department/unit. Some staff members work all day in spaces with no windows and barely a desk of their own while entire offices and lab spaces sit totally empty for months (or even years!), reserved for the next all-important hotshot hire.

Advice to Management

Keep focusing on your core values and mission of research and academic excellence. Make benefits such as free bus passes, access to parking spots and working spaces available on a more equitable basis to ALL, regardless of whether they are considered a big superstar or belong to a union. Staff who have years of working experience and service to the university should not suffer because they are 'only' non-unionized... staff.

Pros

Great work environment everyone works together as a team

Cons

Work life balance and better benefits would be awesome