Comfortable "Research" for Feds - Research Associate Westat Employee Review

4.0
Nov 13, 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

-Good, smart, dedicated helpful people, caring leadership -Nice work environment -Smart business longterm thinking-- keep staff funded across projects, so when 1 funding source dries up, you don't find yourself suddenly gone. Staff feel secure, treated professionally, and focus well on their work, and doing their best. -Good place to start out and learn -Great work/life balance -A company with a good, solid, reliable reputation to produce quality for large-scale research (e.g., massive longitudinal surveys) projects, surveys, etc.

Cons

-Professional advancement is very limited, no matter how smart you are or how hard you work. -Don't expect state-of-the-art stuff-- IT, creative thinking, or quick-moving anything. -As with many research places, admin support is skimpy and disconnected from project teams. It can cause needless chaos and poor morale. -Mid-level leadership is not really leading staff in the latest tech and research, actually lagging

Explore other reviews about Westat

5.0
Jun 30, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great company to work for. Training is always effective and well designed.

Cons

Projects/data collection periods could be longer.

4.0
Jul 9, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Some of the leadership are fantastic! Pay is fair

Cons

Some staff do not respect lower staff; especially when they are Black lower level staff. Reactive instead of proactive when it comes to training up staff as opposed to hiring consultants Benefits and pay suffered after the administration took over Work-life balance frequently is an issue. Intrusive work expectations.

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