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Chicago Botanic Garden

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Chicago Botanic Garden Reviews

3.4

54% would recommend to a friend

(77 total reviews)

Jean M. Franczyk

30% approve of CEO

43% positive business outlook

Chicago Botanic Garden has an employee rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars, based on 77 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Chicago Botanic Garden employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Arts, entertainment and recreation industry (3.9 stars).

Reviews by job title

77 reviews
2.0
20 Oct 2014

Seriously consider not working here.

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

In no small part to the blood, sweat, and tears shed here everyday by hard working and underpaid people, the Garden is gorgeous. Over the holidays, you may be graced with a $9 gift card to the Garden's overpriced cafe, so that's something to look forward to. Also, clocking out is a deep, cathartic experience that you'll appreciate more everyday you come to work. Ample parking.

Cons

With no exaggeration, the CEO is one of the coldest, most socially awkward human beings you'll ever get the opportunity to be indirectly micro-managed by. Walls have ears. Abject poverty. Feudal serfdom. Well oiled gossip machine keeps things running.

2.0
16 Apr 2014

Pretty outside, gloomy inside

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Nice taking a walk. People are impressed you work there (little do they know the real story). People are nice, your colleagues are for the most part good. You can sometimes pick up free plants that they are about to throw out.

Cons

The CEO terrifies people. You can get anything you want by saying her name and that she might be disapprove, it it is called dropping the S bomb. She is disdainful of the employees and this is demonstrated by offering incredibly insulting raises, switching the health policies so that you can no longer insure husband or dependents if they have insurance at their own companies, they audit you on this. They provide office space in the buildings that have no windows and are these tiny oppressive cubes with no natural light. How ironic that you work in a beautiful place but can only see it on your thirty minute lunch! Even if you are successful in meeting goals, the raises are meagre. Though for the most part, everyone is pleasant, everyone is watching out for themselves and it is very territorial. I think that is because everyone is very overworked, underpaid and stressed out. They went through layoffs during the recession and never regained any of those employees. Creativity is stifled because of the CEO's stringent aesthetics. She is the ultimate micro manager. The Garden is elegant, yes, but fun, I think not. The offices are like tombs, super quiet. Everyone is very focused but very few laughs. Also, they took away all perks like coffee, etc. It is bring your own, so the fridge all through the garden are filled with lots of little creamers with names on it. That to me summarizes the garden. A fridge full of creamers.

2.0
23 Jan 2018

Flexible and easy, but no supoort

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Flexible hours if bedded, good benefits, easy work.

Cons

The administration at CBG doesn't care at all about its volunteers or employees. They continue to give themselves 30k-40k bonuses each year on top of their 6 figure salaries while laying off others and reducing pay due to "budget cuts", yet somehow the garden has seen exponential increases in attendance and revenue as well as breaking our record for attendance two years in a row. This place is a joke for upward mobility, unless you know someone in the administration personally. Oh, and if you work in the security or custodial department prepare to be blamed and accused of just about everything that the administration can think of. This place is run just like the IL government: corrupt and they only care about lining their own pockets.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 77 Reviews

Glassdoor has 90 Chicago Botanic Garden reviews submitted anonymously by Chicago Botanic Garden employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Chicago Botanic Garden is right for you.