Career killer - Anonymous employee Pittsburgh Symphony Employee Review

it is a great work environment

there are not really downsides

The music is fantastic and the learning & community / education programs are amazing. That team is woefully undervalued at the PSO and often scrutinized despite these programs being the main selling point for fundraising initiatives. That being said, hall management is the only safe department in the building, because the people who work there are genuine and kind and the senior leadership in that department is outstanding.

The CEO, COO, and most members of senior leadership actively perpetuate a culture that feels siloed, passive aggressive, performative, unsafe, and unprofessional. The COO and CEO will stand up in staff meetings and preach DEAI and a "One PSO" culture, and then on the way back from that same meeting make disparaging comments about employees with disabilities and mental health issues. The only HR professional in the building was overheard mocking an employee sharing their disability diagnosis in a meeting. Senior leadership also makes ageist comments about the younger generation of workers at the PSO. If you hate the phrase "that's the way we have always done it", don't work here. Senior leadership leads by example in demonstrating that transparent communication is frowned upon and anyone who communicates too openly with their direct reports are met with varying levels of retaliation. The culture is very demoralizing and employees are undervalued. The turnover rate is astronomical. You can find somewhere else to work in the arts for the same abysmal money.