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Harvard University

Is this your company?

good people, big problems with inconsistency - Administrator Harvard University Employee Review

3.0
Dec 21, 2011
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

My colleagues and supervisors have been wonderful, professional, congenial. I love my (physical) office. No shortage of verbal recognition for hard work.

Cons

The pay across schools is terribly inconsistent. I know for a fact that I make 20% less per year than someone I shared an office with doing the exact same work at another school. We are constantly reinventing the wheel because of the "tub/own bottom" mentality here. A lot of time is wasted trying to figure out standard procedures that may already have been standardized for years in offices down the street. My particular department suffers from old fashioned and inflexible attitudes toward work-life balance. Our schedules are monitored very closely and the concept of flex-time is almost completely foreign. Being over 35 with 5 years of experience in my field I would expect more trust and autonomy. Morale gets low in our department for this reason.

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5.0
Jul 13, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Light work if you have the right team

Cons

Low pay for amount of work

2.0
Jun 30, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great Union and benefits for non-profits/higher ed. Wonderful colleagues outside of leadership!

Cons

GSD Development and Alumni Relations (under current leadership) is an incredibly toxic work environment. I didn't realize the intensity of the toll it took on my until after leaving, and I am not one to leave a negative review, but as they are hiring for several positions currently, I wish to share words of caution with applicants. Cons: - Absolutely not a safe space for anyone who is Black, brown, trans, queer, working-class, or disabled - 100% top-down direction. No room for personal exploration, initiative, or creativity. - Minimal guidance from leadership - Frequent pivots, even in the late stages of projects - Petty, immature talking behind your back by leadership - No upward mobility unless the Associate Dean or Dean like you - Deeply disingenuous comments, reflections, and feedback from leadership - Complete lack of transparency on direction, goals, etc. - Small mistakes are made cornerstones of performance evaluations, while leadership routinely missteps. Leadership never takes accountability. - Top-down policy decisions, completely lacking detail, thought, and care outside of legal ramifications - Ever-changing in-office requirements

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