Farm Sanctuary Reviews

Like other reviewers have said, Gene is a huge problem. In fact, all the higher ups seem to brown nose each other even having monthly staff meetings to congratulate each other on all their “great work.” Gene has big, unrealistic ideas that always get pushed through regardless of how much it costs, how it affects the people on the ground, or what the people who will be directly involved think about them. In my opinion, these plans are not accessible, not mission-aligned, not environmentally-friendly and not well thought out. Gene is clueless, narcissistic and out of touch but the board and upper management give him unwavering support despite the catastrophic effects. Even though many of us push for an increased commitment to social justice initiatives, we’re met with radio silence. Most of the leaders who cared appeared to be forced out, leaving Gene and his friends to pretend that they care but refuse to take any real action. Those of us on the ground have to fight for a living wage and essential equipment while those at the top make 6 figure salaries. There have been layoffs and budget cuts for many departments, but somehow there’s always enough money to support Gene’s erratic (and expensive) decisions. Also, echoing others that the new “leaders” of animal care are clueless and going to run this place into the ground. They care more about “research” and writing papers than about actual animal care which is evident in their ideas as well as the differences in pay/access to resources between caregivers and research staff. We’re talked down to and treated like we’re stupid even though we’re the ones doing the work and seeing the animals every day. The people making decisions that impact our day to day visit the sanctuary at most a few weeks out of the year but are convinced that they know more about the residents than those of us who care for them. I really feel that some of the animals are suffering as a result, but we’re powerless to stop it since any concerns are invalidated and many of us fear retaliation.

Corrupt and callous leadership. Abuse of power. Toxic work environment. Psychologically abusive. I could write a novel on the emotional and psychological harm that Farm Sanctuary has caused to its employees over the last few years. However, nothing was worse and more devastating than when the new CEO was brought in the summer of 2022. In October, 2 of the senior-most female leaders who had done nothing but inspire and motivate the staff were abruptly let go due to "budget cuts" with no warning and no transition plan in place. They were given 4 days to pack up and leave, leaving their teams traumatized, scared, and scrambling. This led to an exodus of staff, some of whom had been with the organization for 5+ years. When we expressed our hurt, confusion, frustration, and disappointment, we were essentially told that if we didn't like it we could leave. In the 6 months after those two were let go, at least a dozen employees either quit or were fired because of their commitment to making sure there was organizational transparency and that the toxic mind games wouldn't continue. A Director and Manager (both minorities & both who had been there for 6+ years) were quietly pushed out by the CEO. Weeks went by before most staff even knew that they were gone! Farm Sanctuary's reply to a Glassdoor review with accusations posted on March 31st that they were cutting down a forest to build a cafe is as follows: "The assertion that we are"cutting down a forest to build a cafe” is completely false. We are adding our cafe to an existing building. No trees or wildlife will be impacted." This is true. FS is not cutting down a forest to build a cafe. HOWEVER, what they are not sharing is that they ARE indeed cutting down trees in the local forest to create a campsite and hiking/walking trails onsite to attract more visitors. This is all part of Gene's grand vision. Farm Sanctuary made no effort to consult with environmentalists/ecologists to advise on the appropriate course of action for this "vision" and instead staff were randomly sent a video in December of trees in the forest being cut down and we were expected to praise such progress! When asked by another staff person what the plan was to ensure that the existing ecosystem would be preserved to make sure that habitats of birds, deer, and other wildlife were not being impacted, we were given a roundabout reply that didn't actually the question, signifying to staff that no critical thought was being given. There were several staff employed at the time who had direct experience & education in wildlife conservation and human-nature connection, and they were not consulted. This is just one example to show how Farm Sanctuary continues to bend to the whims and dreams of Gene and now the new CEO, with no interest in actually LISTENING to what any of the staff on the ground are telling them. I was prepared to spend the rest of my life working for Farm Sanctuary, but never in my life did I expect that a non-profit that preaches "kindness," "compassion," and "justice" would have higher leadership so callous, cruel, and egomaniacal. Their treatment of BIPOC staff, especially those in leadership was abhorrent, unethical, and immoral. I would be surprised if the cafe they are looking to build is a success. If they are struggling so much with money as we were told they were, how on Earth are they going to finance getting this thing off the ground? Nevermind the fact that they had a more than qualified VEGAN chef with YEARS of culinary experience from a well-respected institution already on staff in another role, but they fired him without a second thought for asking an honest and simple question over an email. TLDR; toxicity, abuse, paranoia, destruction, paternalism, racism, misogyny, gaslighting, I could go on and on...don't work here. I believe there are some genuinely good people who still work there simply because they need a paycheck, and I worry about their mental health and stability. Please read and heed the words from the critical reviews from these last few months. There is truth here and obviously a pattern. All we wanted was to be heard and validated, for the leadership to understand the harm they were causing us without excusing it away or minimizing it, and attempt to repair it. Instead, we were continuously blamed and talked down to like we were children. When will the voices of those who have been seriously harmed finally be heard over the perpetrators who are only interested in upholding their power and ego? We ask the sanctuary community, when is enough enough?