Smart, dedicated staff; organizational culture could use some improvement
Pros
Most of the staff are intelligent, thoughtful people who are clearly passionate about equity and social justice issues and very dedicated to the work that PolicyLink does; for most of the staff, it's not just a job. The organization is well-connected to other intermediaries and funders. For the most part, the work environment was also very collegial; in my years at PolicyLink, I became close with a number of colleagues and still keep in touch with many, and consider them friends. Health benefits were good, as were the vacation benefits. The Founder and CEO is an accomplished woman with a dynamic presence that can be very inspiring.
Cons
On the flip side, to some extent, the fact that the founder is still CEO and that she has such a presence has created a bit of a "cult of personality" climate. It's wonderful that staff are so bought into the organization, but this has also fostered too much self-congratulation and self-promotion. Staff meetings dragged on for almost two hours some weeks, and became a vehicle for some people to present solely for the purpose of getting "face time" in front of the boss. There is little transparency in job titles and salary levels, the annual review process is disorganized, and the organization lacks a clear plan for or commitment to staff professional and leadership development. As a result, junior staff who are excellent at promoting themselves and who can align themselves with powerful senior staff usually get the most recognition. There appeared to be little standardization of job titles or job descriptions. Work-life balance is a challenge. Most of the staff I'd worked with who'd been there for several years were at or nearing the point of burnout (although few wanted to admit that publicly).