Great Cause/Unethical Organization - Anonymous employee Operation Smile Employee Review

1.0
May 16, 2018
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Get to travel around the world. - Work next to dedicated individuals who believe in the cause. - Create relationships with talented volunteers from around the world. - The work looks great on a resume and a lot of people have gone on to bigger and better things. - Usually extra holiday time for the year.

Cons

There have already been so many reviews that cover this information, but it's worth stating again. It’s apparent that so many of the issues we face are a result of an egocentric founder that has created an atmosphere where self-centered people believe that their work justifies unethical behavior. Its hard to believe that people that work for such an important cause can be arrogant narcissists. - Upper management overworks their employees and then uses that to “look good” in front of the founder and CEO. They push young, passionate employees until they are burnt out then move on to the next batch. It's a continuous cycle, and the high turn over rates doesn't matter to them because there are always new passionate, idealistic individuals who want to make a difference in the world but don't realize what they need to sacrifice to do it. - There have been many times where leadership has made mistakes, costing the organization hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, no one gets reprimanded, and the behavior continues. No successful organization runs this way. - The only way to advance in the organization is to kiss up to a Magee. One day new leadership will take over. But I can tell you one thing if their last name is Magee than they will have the same narcissistic attitude. - I personally have witnessed bribery of international officials in other countries. - There is regularly mistreatment of patient information such as carrying patient information out of countries that prohibit it. - Other employees hand carry items that should only be shipped, and leadership tells them to show pictures of the kids we help to pass through customs. - One last important aspect of the organization is their unethical treatment of donor money. There are frequent happy hours which include kegs, wine, and food, despite a financial crisis which has cost people their jobs. One way they make their numbers look so much better is calculating surgeons, anesthesiologist, and nurses volunteer time as a “gift in kind.” Thus it gets a dollar amount associated with it. No other organization does this. In fact its the reason you won't find Operation Smile listed on sites like charity navigator. Also spending millions of dollars on producing a television segment for raising donations and then classifying it as a programmatic expense since it is “educational.” Then why was it produced by the fundraising department and not the education department? Because just like many things in the organization, it is a smokescreen to cover the real motivation. There is a saying that if someone is nice to you but rude to their waiter, they are not a nice person. Well, it doesn’t matter how many times a person tears up talking about their cause to a donor. Look at how they treat people. The Magee family only treats people well if you have something to give them.

avatar
Operation Smile Response
8y
Thank you for your review. We are sorry to hear this has been your experience. Operation Smile takes pride in its roots and humble beginnings. Founded 36 years ago, Operation Smile has come a long way – our Co-Founders have dedicated their lives to advancing our mission and growing an idea into an international nonprofit. The growth we have achieved has been hard won and is a direct result of the dedication of many loyal employees, who have traditionally done more with less and worked incredibly hard. We believe our mission is a moral imperative specifically, that everyone is entitled to receive life-changing surgery, regardless of where they live, their ethnicity or their ability to pay. To coordinate such a complex endeavor is challenging. It demands a great deal of our employees. Fortunately, to a person, our employees are extremely committed to the mission and we don’t take their commitment for granted. We want our employees to feel valued and appreciated, and to believe that leadership is committed to helping each employee develop professionally. We’re working hard to make improvements to ensure that working for Operation Smile in any capacity is synonymous with professional fulfilment and pride. We have an employee-lead initiative that is providing a window into what our employees believe can enhance their workplace experience. We are listening to their suggestions and taking action based on those recommendations. As a global organization, we monitor policy changes that impact our practices, and make modifications as required to consistently demonstrate the highest standard of accountability and transparency. We don’t always get everything right, but we’re working to improve the way we work, and our work environment in every way.

Explore other reviews about Operation Smile

5.0
May 6, 2026
Anonymous temporary employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Leadership, investment in research and team-building

Cons

Hard to coordinate with out of country partners in different time zones

2.0
May 12, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The impact is real. Your work will literally improve the lives of kids and help improve the local health infrastructure through medical training. Work/life balance can pretty good with FTO compared to other employers. You can go to the bank, make doctor's appointments, and run errands that can only be done during the day.

Cons

Management get more and more incompetent the higher up you look. Your immediate manager has no power and doesn't understand labor laws. The department manager never has any idea what's going on. The C-suite are all so grossly incompetent that I can only fathom that they got the job through being friends of the family. Managers are disrespectful towards those below them and turn 180 into brownnosers in front of those above them (while badmouthing them behind their back - no respect). Everyone is scared s***-less of those with more "connections"/power leading to pervasive yes-man-ing of terrible ideas, under the table work to fix said terrible ideas, and just utter disorganization throughout the entire company. Every department appear to be out for themselves. I have seen competent people get laid off likely because they disagreed with the wrong people (by actually having expertise in their field). Expect to pick up the slack after layoffs, because things will only get worse. You will be overworked, underpaid, and never recognized. Neither the pay nor career progression will be transparent. Your manager may praise you privately, but don't expect a promotion or even the measly 2% raise for cost of living adjustment you would at other places. They will do nothing for you while expecting everything from you.

1
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All