EnviroIssues Reviews

2.7

24% would recommend to a friend

(45 total reviews)

Angie Thomson-Bulldis, Erin Tam and Elizabeth Faulkner

19% approve of CEO

27% positive business outlook

EnviroIssues has an employee rating of 2.7 out of 5 stars, based on 45 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The EnviroIssues employee rating is 27% below average for employers within the Management and consulting industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

45 reviews
2.0
28 Apr 2021

You know it’s a cult when...

Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The firm has a long and successful history in Seattle as a small business, always women owned. It has stood for high quality, integrity, and really good client service. A lot of people got their start at EI and received excellent training. Wages were average but benefits have always been a little better. Many projects have high visibility in the community and the issues are complex and interesting. If you like variety in your day, the work and clients will hold your interest. The internal IT and accounting staff are incredibly competent and supportive. BIPOC staff have a tight-knit community. Hiring outside equity facilitators to support internal teams has been expensive but a largely positive investment.

Cons

The new management team has done a 180 from two years ago and they are over their heads. Most have limited or unrelated work experience outside of EI so their perspective and leadership skills are very limited.There was equity work to do two years ago for sure AND that could have happened without losing focus on projects, innovation, or how to do great community engagement. It’s disappointing this team can only do one thing and that’s mix up a toxic cocktail of victimhood, cult-like declarations, and serve it up as white fragility. Every freakin day. If you’re not part of the in-crowd, trust no one. Beware of the cancel culture. In the name of equity, firm leadership has stripped away all financial incentives for senior staff to stay on. More than 15 senior associates have left in two years. Clients are noticing and asking questions because EI had once been known for keeping people a long time. The firm has pulled out of major contracts with clients they believe are harmful to some (not all) staff which threatens the financial forecast and the company’s reputation. All it takes these days for EI to walk away from paying clients is for one associate to complain that getting emails after 5pm is harmful, they don’t feel heard, or aren’t getting enough”magic” in their day-to-day lives. Give me a break. Public service projects are 24/7, they serve the public (not you) and lane widenings ain’t magic. Within two years, this company will be 50% smaller. The days of bonuses, profit sharing and 401k matching are over. Might want to be truthful about that on the website. Other public involvement firms will take the lion share of large construction projects and EI will pursue projects focused on equity. Even a couple of the leadership folks who know better will leave, and the company will likely move away from profitability and toward a non-profit or employee-owned model where those still standing can revel in their righteousness.

1.0
9 May 2021

Going downhill fast...

Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

This used to be a well-respected PNW-based firm that was woman-owned with a great reputation among clients and primes. Sadly, that is no longer the case. As others have mentioned, the benefits have dried up since the pandemic began, and the cons far outweigh any remaining pros.

Cons

Staff with long tenures are leaving in droves. They have lost at least 20 valuable employees in the last couple years, and that is significant for a 100 person firm. Anyone with previous work experience in a healthy culture will see the red flags right away. As others have mentioned, the company culture has shifted to a self-righteous, cult-like and gaslighting-filled atmosphere led by a narcissist who has been able to quickly manipulate their way to the top. They want you to gobble up cult-like phrases like “creating a culture of care,” when in reality, the toxicity of the work environment has only tripled in the last several years. Anyone with a professional background in D&I and change management would never recommend anything that this company has pursued. I agree with the sentiment that this firm will not be around much longer, so if you’re looking at working here, your efforts are better off somewhere else where you will be respected for your time and your professional skills and allowed to flourish. Unless you’re into cliques, gossip culture, and delusion, you probably won’t get accepted by the “in crowd.” It’s sad to see a once successful company get run straight into the ground so quickly.

1.0
7 May 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

For many years, EI was a well-renowned, woman-owned public involvement firm. The company worked on major projects that impacted communities across the PNW. Before COVID, the company had relatively generous benefits (vacation time, 401k matching, profit sharing, health insurance). I believe these have all been suspended since the beginning of the pandemic.

Cons

After having worked at EI for several years and recently moving on, I can confidently say I am now watching the demise of the company from afar. About 2 years ago, the company began moving in a new direction with a complete change in leadership and the hiring of a new HR director who has a cult-like following.  The changes that have happened since can only be described as asinine, toxic, juvenile, and unprofessional. The culture has become cult-like favoritism where those closest to the leadership and HR director are given blatant special treatment. The company has lost the majority of its valuable employees in the last year, and those that remain are mainly the disciples of the new HR director, praising them like a deity with "magical" powers. Many of these disciples do actual work for less than 15 hours a week but are paid for a 40 hour work week, spending the rest of their time on "wellness." The few dedicated staff that remain are then carrying the project work for the other freeloaders. Raising this issue with leadership would lead to public shaming, which was frequently done in all-staff emails from the HR director, who has all but taken over the company.   In the name of diversity and inclusion, the company has created a more exclusive culture, where only those that reside in the HR director's echo chamber are rewarded. Discussion, debate, and discourse are not tolerated, and anyone who dares attempt it will be shamed and blamed, regardless of their viewpoint. Antiracism and equity work can be done in a healthy way without invalidating the experiences, thoughts, and opinions of all staff. Done well, it can create a collaborative space where everyone can feel welcome to engage in the conversation and learn from one another. EI is the antithesis of this. The HR director has created a culture of fear and shame where most staff can't speak for fear of public shaming or being passive aggressively pushed out of the company. From a financial perspective, the company has stopped working with many clients it deems "harmful" and has been fired by other clients; the company is not profitable, and at this rate will likely not be in business as a for-profit company for much longer.  To anyone looking for a new job, I advise you to stay as far away as you possibly can. This company will surely implode in the next year, and anyone working there will be collateral damage. There are other companies in the PNW doing similar work with much healthier cultures and financial outlooks.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 45 Reviews

Glassdoor has 46 EnviroIssues reviews submitted anonymously by EnviroIssues employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if EnviroIssues is right for you.