good at window-dressing, poor at walking their talk; toxic, understaffed, and underpaidThe good things1) opportunities to meet different people and communities; 2) some competent and supportive colleagues and supervisors; 3) can be a good first job, especially for those starting in the development sector
The challenges1) limited career growth; 2) chronic understaffing and heavy workload; 3) toxic culture and internal politics, especially in the operations (dir.'s favoritism, gossip, and poor conflict management); 4) too much work, almost everyone is underpaid; 5) decision-making feels top-down; staff and partner communities are rarely consulted; 6) high contractualization rate; just a handful of regular positions; 7) some directors/management members display unprofessional behavior and chronic anger issues including public shaming of staff; 8) those favored by ops dir. can get away with doing anything; 9) extremely cramped workstations and lack of ergonomic considerations; 10) HR often comes across as insensitive and unconsultative in handling employee concerns & scheduling activities