Non-profit H-1B sponsorship, poor communication and management - Data and Policy Analyst Acumen Employee Review

1.0
Nov 27, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- If you are looking for a place to learn SAS, this is a good place. - If you are looking for a place to learn healthcare policies, this might be a good place. They work on different aspects of healthcare for the government. But the documentation and training are not good, you need a lot of self-learning here.

Cons

- Please please believe all the negative reviews here when seriously consider working in Acumen. They are all true. I have worse management stories. Most managers assigned to new hirers are fresh undergraduates and only have 1-2 years of working experience. Don’t expect them to be your mentor or care about your personal development. - Seniority is what Acumen values. It penetrates in many aspects – voice of your opinion, raises, promotion and even office supplies. For example, they gave out new chairs based on the order of the length you’ve stayed here while supply lasts. If you have prior working experience, it is not valued and sometimes it might hurt you – depending how your young/inexperienced manager sees it. Past reviews have commented on this. - Long working hours and low compensation are true. HR will tell you that there will be raises/promotion every six months the first 2 years you start here. This gets tricky: it depends on the date you start (there is a fixed time window for evaluation, if you miss it, you miss it) and don’t expect the raise is high, and don’t expect a promotion each time. - Poor Communication. Non-transparency. I have seen people got moved around teams/managers without prior notice. You also won’t know what other people are doing in the same team, let alone people in other teams. - They offer non-profit H1B sponsorship here. You also need to sign an agreement to pay penalties if you leave within xxx months/years working here after the sponsorship. Same for green card application. The GC app is slow here. Check on line how many people are in the GC list if this is something you are considering. - Benefits are poor. One simple case to illustrate their attitudes to the employees: when they serve bakery, they cut the bakery in half, and put a sign saying that people should not take more than two pieces, and have an HR to supervisor in the room. For snacks, one piece for one person. - One last word, every rule is very calculated here. If you have learned economics, they are trying to squeeze as much low cost as possible from their employees.

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Acumen Response
8y
Thank you for your thoughtful review. I am sorry you have had a challenging experience at Acumen. I would be happy to discuss any of the issues you have articulated and try and work through them with you. We continue to work with management to elevate the management skills they bring to the team and I am sorry you haven't seen evidence of that.

Explore other reviews about Acumen

5.0
Apr 18, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
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Pros

- The work is intellectually engaging and gave me many chances to grow technically. - I learned a lot from talented coworkers and appreciated being part of projects with real-world relevance. - There was also good exposure to translating technical work into clear, usable takeaways.

Cons

- The work can be intense and detail-heavy, and deadlines can sometimes feel demanding. - Priorities may shift quickly, which can make it hard to plan ahead. - At times, the volume of revisions and fast pace can be stressful.

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Acumen Response
2mo
We've heard that this type of feedback is helpful to new graduates and prospective applicants, particularly your perspective on the pros and cons of working here. Please continue to share your experiences during your career journey with us. We wish you the best!
2.0
Jun 26, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great people to work with overall

Cons

Management is disorganized No incentives to want to continue working there

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