Smithsonian reviews

4.1

66% would recommend to a friend

(508 total reviews)
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Dr. David J. Skorton

75% approve of CEO

64% positive business outlook

Smithsonian has an employee rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, based on 508 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Smithsonian employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Nonprofit & NGO industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

508 reviews
5.0
Oct 23, 2019

Stable, interesting, culture issue

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Excellent benefits and flexible schedule (like any other federal position). What's most exciting are the professional development opportunities. Technicians get support for conferences, workshops, and continuing education, something UNHEARD of in other library systems. The work is interesting, we're encouraged to engage with the other academic activities elsewhere in the institution. The collections are amazing. There are very few institutions in the world that can offer more stimulating work.

Cons

There's a diversity problem, like everywhere in the profession. Also a serious lack of promotion potential. Everyone has an advanced degree and is qualified for the "Librarian" or other professional titles/salaries, yet there's a history of ignoring existing talent when filling these positions. There are a lot of complaints about efficiency in management, and the current administration/congress has severely cut budgets.

3.0
May 26, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Excellent benefits, Holidays off, academic invigorating talent on the research side

Cons

Terrible leadership at the senior level. Directors are unchecked and unmanaged. Unskilled in building and nurturing teams for future relevance of the Institution.

Viewing 43 - 45 of 508 Reviews

Glassdoor has 797 Smithsonian reviews submitted anonymously by Smithsonian employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Smithsonian is right for you.