Constant underlying tension due to poor leadership - Manager Understood Employee Review

2.0
25 May 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Many wonderful, talented, passionate people at junior and mid levels - Good pay and benefits, especially for a nonprofit - Nice office in the West Village - Lots of fun events, and karaoke is a staple after happy hours

Cons

I highly caution anyone against working here. - There is very little trust between leadership and general staff, leading to a lot of staff feeling on edge and stressed. Nobody feels safe to fail. People are fired without warning, leading many to feel nervous when it comes to job security. On top of that, a lot of people quit out of downright frustration with the experience of working there. It feels like very few people last more than 2 years. - The leadership team has strong opinions and preferences, and they very rarely compromise, admit fault, or show vulnerability. Their approach to leading the company felt very secretive, insular, and abnormally mean. Sometimes it felt they were much more concerned with optics and their own external reputations than actual results or impact, internally or externally - Understood.org is still figuring out its identity and cannot commit to a clear, achievable vision for its impact. This makes it very hard to prioritize, and as a result, everyone feels like they need to be doing everything all the time

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Understood Response
3y
Thank you for sharing the feedback. As the new Head of People & Culture, I am committed to ensuring a positive experience for all Understood colleagues, and welcome the opportunity to discuss your feedback. Please contact me at dwilson@understood.org. Deborah Wilson Head of People & Culture

Explore other reviews about Understood

5.0
21 Feb 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Company size is small so you get to meet with nearly every team - Everyone is looking to learn regardless of their expertise

Cons

- There were no cons.

1.0
2 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The primary strength of working at Understood.org is the people. You’ll likely have the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from an exceptionally intelligent group of colleagues. The benefits package is also a meaningful positive.

Cons

While the organization publicly emphasizes a commitment to an inclusive workplace, the lived experience for many does not consistently reflect those stated values. Issues around diversity and inclusion are noticeable, and there are huge gaps between external messaging and internal culture. I personally experienced microaggressions during my time at the organization, and observed a consistent lack of meaningful accountability when these concerns were raised. From a leadership perspective, there is often a sense of uneven capability across teams, with decision-making sometimes feeling disconnected from frontline realities or lacking in clarity and direction. Career progression, or lack thereof is another red flag worth mentioning. Promotions are limited and infrequent and there is little upward mobility over time despite strong performance.

3
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