Rigid Hierarchy that doesn't value most employees or utilize them well - Anonymous employee United Way Employee Review

2.0
Mar 5, 2013
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Many of my colleague are very talented and hard working (especially at mid and low levels). Working remotely is normal and the office space is nice. Some of the work UWSEM is doing in communities is incredible.

Cons

Although we are a relatively small organization, many people don't know each other who should and others have never met our leadership at all. There is no sense of team, no on-boarding for employees, and much time is wasted because of this. Some teams in UWSEM are more organized than others and some teams don't even have regular meetings at all so the work can feel very isolating. Many projects are not staffed at appropriate levels and many promises are made that more staff are being hired, but that rarely happens so burnout is very high. Leadership doesn't usually give time to listen, they just talk at us. We work remotely, but our servers and remote access is often not working which is very frustrating and never seems to get better. StrengthsFinder is highly valued by the organization, but it is often used incorrectly against staff to focus on their weaknesses. I often see that making something "look good" is more highly valued by leadership than making something that has the most positive impact on community. The "leadership" team makes promises to donors and funders without knowing what is possible on the ground and it gets us into some very tough situations. Evaluation is talked about a lot, but an afterthought.

Explore other reviews about United Way

5.0
Apr 10, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

People were very nice and cooperative

Cons

Not any that I would speak of

2.0
Jun 18, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The mission is meaningful and the work itself can be deeply rewarding. Colleagues are talented, dedicated, and genuinely care about the community they serve. For the right person, that camaraderie carries a lot of weight.

Cons

Over the past two years, this organization has undergone significant and painful change. A revolving door of senior leadership, including the abrupt loss of key executives, created instability that trickled down to every level of staff. Layoffs followed, and then a steady stream of voluntary departures that leadership appeared either unable or unwilling to address meaningfully. Under new leadership, nearly every quality-of-life benefit that made nonprofit-level salaries feel worth it has been reduced or eliminated: fewer sick days, increased healthcare costs, loss of Summer Fridays, loss of Thanksgiving week, and a shift to more required in-office days. The cumulative effect is an organization that asks a great deal of its staff, in salary sacrifice and mission commitment, while systematically withdrawing what made that trade-off feel fair.

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