The working environment is simply toxic. Everyone walks around on eggshells because of the CAO and her immediate staff (EA and Manager of Operations). They are the most negative and downright condescending people I have ever come across. They have nasty attitudes and are very passive aggressive about the simplest of things. The HR department is either complicit or completely useless because there is no way that they can't see that the staff morale is non-existent. The CAO rules by fear and everyone knows that if she doesn't like you that you are out the door. The sad thing is that she and her immediate staff don't know it all, very far from it and they could stand to learn a thing or two about treating people with respect in the work place. I was passing by and heard the CAO tell a member of staff that she was the person who decided if the member of staff was going to stay or be fired. I don't know of any organization that would still employ a member of staff that treats employees like that. There has been tremendous turnover on all levels since the CAO came on board and there is no sign that things are going to get better any time soon.
If the CEO claims to not know what is going on in the organization, then they need someone who has a clue instead of the checked out person that currently runs the organization. Just because an organization is doing well financially, it doesn't mean that all is well. If the CEO doesn't care that the employees are happy, then very soon she will be left with a profitable organization run by substandard employees like the CAO.
