Actions speak louder than words - Senior Program Officer IREX (International Research & Exchanges Board) Employee Review

Dear Former IREXer, Thank you for taking the time to leave your thoughts and feedback regarding your experience at IREX. We are pleased that you recognized our pay is competitive compared to other organizations in our sector and you enjoyed IREX’s benefits and professional development opportunities, and better opportunities for connections. We were sorry to read that you felt you were not able to balance the workload with opportunities provided by IREX for professional development. These opportunities are provided for all to take advantage of and not for some to feel they are “missing out”. These sessions are often recorded to accommodate different schedules and time zones. We were also concerned that you felt HR and leadership messages did not recognize the work that goes into implementing programs. HR recognizes the work and contribution of every staff and reflects this in the policies that apply to all. The labor market can be unpredictable and so organizations have limited control over the size and quality of the pool of candidates. We have a standardized recruitment policy which our recruiters and hiring managers implement to ensure consistency in our hiring processes and practices and adherence with labor law. Our diverse HR team is dedicated to ensuring that IREX is equally diverse and respectful of all stakeholders. The recruitment process, performance management, trainings, and various guides available to staff are all geared toward providing an environment where all employees can thrive. We appreciate the advice you left for management and agree that it is important to be transparent about the urgency of projects, workloads, and advancement opportunities for direct reports. Upon hire, employees are provided with information for reporting concerns to HR. Employees are also informed that there will not be any consequences for reporting a violation, provided the report was made in good faith. IREX has a duty to investigate any allegation made against any employee and take appropriate action. Every employee should also have the basic and fundamental expectation to work without fear of being the victim of false and harmful allegations. IREX has a duty and obligation to provide such an environment for all staff. All the best, The HR Team