Scandal waiting to happen - Anonymous employee AARP Employee Review

2.0
Feb 9, 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Social mission organization with purpose. Some room to work the system and do good work. Not everyone is there to do good, they want to talk and do the bare minimum.

Cons

Where do I start: Mismanaged funds, inflated budgets, no investment in competitive talent. Sub par performers who keep their jobs by using consultants. Ethics violations are out in the open, no one says or does anything. Smart people get frustrated and end up leaving. There is room for con-artists to spin wheels and sell bridges to nowhere. Job security!!!!! Poor communication. Leadership talks big, but doesn't listen or care about the employees.

Explore other reviews about AARP

5.0
May 28, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

great benefits even for interns like free lunch, reimbursed parking, hybrid work. good opportunities to network, hone your skills, and potentially get a permanent role within the organization.

Cons

long onboarding. lots of hr training.

2.0
Apr 2, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

benefits are strong - pension, vacation, sick, caregiving work life balance is generally good

Cons

AARP suffers from a serious toxic work culture, particularly in the IT and Digital Transformation departments. Leadership is atrocious. People leading the 2 key technology functions for the business are incompetent and ego maniacs. Both departments are extremely toxic with burned out employees and contractors. Money gets wasted in the extreme due to these factors. Constant signal switching on projects and priorities. Everyone you work with is unhappy. Bullying and retaliation are common. Avoid these departments in particular, but the whole organization is top heavy, with terrible leadership all around. Still there are some great and talented people, but it's not the norm, and senior leadership is wrought with incompetence and arrogance. The organization flails around endlessly, and blows money with no discipline or rigor to their work and methods. Think someone is juicing the Glassdoor numbers with people saying the place is great. No opportunity for growth. The organization tries to do good work, and does in many ways, but it's so poorly run that it severely hampers its potential.

4
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