Once the most trusted name in polling. No longer. Once a very admired place to work. No longer.
Pros
The advantage of a well-known and once respected name. Office spaces are pleasant. Nice flexibility. Publications (consumer-driven, but not academic) have expanded the brand. Smart, genuine and caring peers. Typically most enjoy autonomy and flexibilty.
Cons
The spark is gone. Very few trust leadership. Fraudulent behavior has emerged that's left manywondering if ethical standards will be broken in order to get a big sale. Gallup is facing serious accusations of “cooking the books” and intentionally overcharging clients and taxpayers through federal government conracts. Gallup has fallen from being the most trusted name in political polling to the worst in the industry the past election seasons. Because of this Gallup has lost relationships with CNN and USA Today. For the past several years clients have struggled to understand the significant turnover at Gallup. Now, even worse, clients are dealing with questionable ethics from the very top of the organization. The public has become increasingly aware of what happens if someone blows a whistle at Gallup to point out unethical behavior. Internally we've know for years what happens – destroyed reputations and the label of being negative and disloyal to "the tribe" (e.g., career suicide at Gallup). The same thing happens if someone points out even the possibility of a legitimate hole in the research, problems with internal employee engagement, or frustrations with the way day-to-day operations are run. Any mention of these topics with a leader results in the label of being disloyal to "the tribe". Gallup is not positioned favorably for the future now that they're facing significant lawsuits, including major charges from the United States Department of Justice. The latest FEMA scandal involving Gallup has led the major news outlets to report that the DOJ case against Gallup is widening. Associates are fearful that this time family leadership may completely sink the company. Gallup leadership spins the DOJ lawsuits as nothing more than the price of entry to play in the big leagues. This saddens me. The Gallup we all used to know would have never ended up where current leadership and their questionable/unethical practices have taken the company. No wonder they've lost so many world-class, experienced consultants and struggle to retain long-term clients.