Toxic workplace - Manager VSO Employee Review

1.0
Jan 17, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Generally nice, supportive colleagues, some of whom care about the cause. - Anecdotally, some people can get away with doing the bare minimum as it is quite a relaxed environment - Salaries higher than average in the sector - Flexible working and WFH

Cons

The organisation has had financial difficulties since the start of covid and as a result a lot of cuts have been made. Most of these seemed quite random and not cohesive to staff wellbeing. At the time of leaving, many more cuts were being made including no office space in the UK, more redundancies, and job absorption becoming the expected norm. Colleagues with mental health issues caused by unrealistic workloads have been managed out of the organisation. Others have quit and their roles not filled. From my contacts still in the organisation, I hear this is only getting worse. They are reducing headcount but expecting much more from existing staff, squeezing people until they burst. Senior management, which is a bit of a 'boy's club' despite having female leaders, seem to have a vendetta against staff and it's as if they purposely do things to damage the people working for them. There are no diversity and inclusion initiatives (and a very white middle-class workforce in the UK office), no training opportunities, no benefits, no progression opportunities, nothing to look after staff wellbeing, no recognition, no thanks. All of this leads to a general atmosphere of low standards, low motivation, and low output. A very toxic workplace which needs an entirely new SMT and a complete rehaul if it's ever going to recover.

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VSO Response
1y
Thank you for taking the time to provide such detailed feedback about your experience at VSO. We are very sorry to learn that your experience of working at VSO included challenges that left you and others feeling unsupported. We are pleased to hear you found your colleagues supportive and caring and recognised some positive aspects of the workplace, such as flexibility and competitive salaries. We take the issues you have raised very seriously. There are always changes for us to respond to and we endeavour to communicate clearly and mitigate any potential negative impact on staff morale and wellbeing. Many employees have shared positive feedback on our Workplace Options and Wellbeing Support and psychosocial/resilience group sessions to support our staff. We will continue to provide this support. Our portfolio of work continues to change as we win funding or when grants come to an end, this often means different roles are required. We are committed to localising efforts and embedding accountability both individually and organisationally, whilst also addressing management practice and investing in staff wellbeing and development. We have an environment and policies in place such as the Code of Conduct and Whistleblowing policy which provide a pathway to raise concerns. Thank you again for sharing your experiences and providing your feedback. We wish you all the best and are grateful for your contributions during your time with VSO.

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5.0
Jan 5, 2022
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
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Pros

Very fast paced and changing with everyone working together to adjust and make it happen for New Yorkers

Cons

Need more projects a bit more senior leaders.

4.0
Apr 17, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Flexible, decent pay, reliable, on time, no drama

Cons

lots of meetings, minimal support from supervisors.

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VSO Response
2y
Thanks very much for your feedback. We're glad to hear your thoughts on the flexible and positive working environment at VSO as well as our remuneration. We are sorry to hear your feedback on the schedule, heavy in meetings and minimal support from supervisors. We are committed to a leadership style that enables our staff and volunteers to do their best work and feel supported. We also work through a distributed leadership approach to give people decision-making power, accountability and learning and development opportunities in a less structured, conventional way.
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