Great colleagues but toxic leadership and morale continues to sink - Anonymous employee USO Employee Review

2.0
Jul 21, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Wonderful colleagues and good benefits.

Cons

Massive leadership change is required in order for this organization to be successful. 3/4 of the executive team (that remain) leave much to be desired. The CDO is in way over his head and the new CAO, well, we're not quite sure what she does aside from covering the CEO's tracks. Two of our best senior leaders recently departed which has caused a huge hit to morale that is already in the toilet. One went to a much smaller organization and I'm sure took a pay cut, and the other left without a job lined up (this is wild to me and reads as a canary in a coal mine - who does that in this market?!) What was clear to more senior leaders (Director and above) a few months ago has now become even more obvious at the staff level: the new CEO is incredibly problematic. His ego dominates every decision, he lacks business acumen, and fails to display basic professionalism. The combination of Army General background during times of active conflict plus leading another organization through a PR crisis seem to have trained him to treat even the most basic task with a sense of wild urgency, thereby leaving the staff with no structure for prioritization and undermining leaders from being able to steadily guide their teams. The constant disruption and micromanagement fails to yield any meaningful progress. It's a complete free for all. He treats employees poorly - several staff have reported hearing him yelling at people through closed doors or being yelled at themselves. If you don't work in an active conflict zone, and especially if you work in Headquarters, you are overpaid and your work is frivolous. The worst part about all of this is that his shiny public image leaves no trace of the aforementioned behavior toward staff. If you're a board member, a donor, or the media, it's showtime! His charm and public displays of passion for the mission mask all of it.

Explore other reviews about USO

5.0
Jul 13, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

~Professional Development Opportunities ~No experience needed to start ~Fun work environment ~Low stress job

Cons

~High turn around rate (military spouses) ~Potentially odd working hours

1.0
Jun 23, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- The mission is genuinely compelling. - Frontline staff, volunteers, and managers perform miracles with limited resources. - You will meet some of the most dedicated people you may ever encounter in your career. - Excellent place to develop skills in: change management, risk management, stakeholder management, emotional regulation, and archaeology; you will spend a surprising amount of time conducting excavations to determine why something exists and who promised it to a donor in 2018.

Cons

- HQ Culture: Imagine watching a group of people dismantle an airplane while simultaneously debating the best paint color for the replacement aircraft. - Leadership: Frequently expresses a desire for innovation, and has addressed this challenge through repeated reductions in operational capacity and institutional knowledge. - Talent Strategy: The organization appears committed to transforming itself into a modern, agile nonprofit while drawing heavily from leadership talent pools whose formative experience was gained in organizations that were not required to be either modern or agile. - Technology: Several systems are simultaneously mission critical, underfunded, being replaced, not being replaced, going away, and required forever. The status depends on which meeting you attended. - Operational Strategy: Announcements, initiatives, and reorganizations arrive with impressive speed. The supporting operational plans occasionally arrive later.

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