Pros
Previously, NWF stood out among its peer organizations for its dedication and focus on staff identities, workplace benefits, equity, and justice. Benefits seemed to acknowledge the full lives of staff and their needs inside and outside of work.
Cons
In recent months, it has become increasingly apparent that leadership is distancing itself from meaningful staff feedback and accountability. Multiple changes to internal processes have limited opportunities for employees to safely and candidly share concerns. For example: The chat function was removed from all-staff meetings, reducing real-time, informal opportunities for staff to engage or raise concerns. Leadership recently solicited anonymous questions for an all-staff meeting via a survey, but required individuals to submit their names to receive a response — effectively undermining the purpose of anonymity and creating a chilling effect on participation. Additionally, feedback provided to leadership, particularly to our People Team (the equivalent of HR), is rarely reflected in organizational processes. A notable example is the performance evaluation system, where widespread concerns raised by staff last year were not meaningfully addressed in subsequent revisions or training. Under the new system, staff are required to consistently exceed the expectations of their job descriptions — rather than meeting them — in order to qualify for merit-based raises. This creates unrealistic standards and contributes to a culture where baseline strong performance is undervalued. While the organization has an ombudsman resource in place, many staff do not view this tool as effective or independent in addressing concerns or protecting against potential retaliation. This further limits employees’ options for safely voicing issues and diminishes trust in available feedback channels. The organization also continues to suffer from a lack of transparent decision-making and clear communication from leadership. Critical issues are left unresolved for extended periods, leaving staff without direction or clarity on priorities and expectations. These challenges are further compounded by a hiring freeze, a promotion freeze, and annual cost-of-living increases that fail to keep pace with the realities of inflation and rising expenses. Without clear communication about these constraints or a roadmap for addressing them, staff are left feeling uncertain about their futures within the organization and undervalued for their work. Collectively, these trends contribute to an environment where employees feel unheard, unsupported, and unclear about organizational priorities — conditions that ultimately jeopardize morale, effectiveness, and retention.