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* I have been working at Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles full-time (More than 5 years)
Pros
Relatively stress free environment, fairly easy work when compared to for-profit businesses and agencies, low pressure. Decent work-life balance, very rarely asked to work overtime, never have to take work home with you. Great benefits for long term employees, lots of vacation days. Genuine and friendly coworkers, and overall you feel like you are contributing to a good cause.
Cons
However, when you peel back the curtain and find out more about how this organization really works from the top down, there is some serious ugly happening here. Everything said in other reviews is true – management staff is completely incompetent from the executives down through department administrators. No idea how to lead a team, how to inspire you to do your best, or how build trust between themselves and their workers. This becomes the only real cause of stress at your job, rather than the work itself.
Furthermore, management in every department shows a stunning lack of understanding of current technology, social trends, and business acumen. I mean barely able to check their email. The attitude however, remains father-knows-best, and people with no experience or knowledge will tell you exactly what to do, and how to do it.
This all results in a restrictive, blinded work environment that discourages critical thinking and creativity. You are expected to fall in line and follow orders to the letter, which is a poor way to operate for a non-profit with so much potential. There is no opportunity for job growth or promotion – there are people working here in the same position for over 35+ years. Unless you belong to the real inner clique, you will be seen as an outsider and kept in place by your superiors.
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Advice to Management
Send your management staff to leadership training, place higher levels of trust in your employees. If you hire someone for their knowledge and skills, listen to them when they come up with solutions for on the job problems. Stop telling your workers how to do the job you hired them to do, and encourage them to grow and thrive both at the office and in the community.
* I have been working at Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles full-time
Pros
Allows opportunities for professional development, offers exercise classes after work (at employee’s expense to be deducted from paycheck), has a small “gym” you can use, friendly staff and opporutnities to get to know people from other departments and those who work in different programs. Plenty of paid Jewish and national holidays off.
Cons
From what I can see, it’s difficult to get a promotion beyond a certain point if you’re not Jewish or “connected”. Not the best environment if you’re not actually interested in advancing Israel as a whole instead of focusing on the program you’re with. Upper management makes important decisions for each program without opening it up for discussion with people who actually run the program. High staff turnover.
Advice to Management
Decentralize a bit and allow people to take ownership of their programs. They know them best because they’re on the ground operating them every day. Maybe hold a “town hall” style meeting to allow people to speak openly and honestly.
* I worked at Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles full-time (More than 3 years)
Pros
You can literally do nothing all day and still look productive compared to other people there. Unlimited k cups is pretty useful as well to keep you awake in your dark cubicle. They block streaming video, but you can still kill your 8 union-mandated hours on Facebook and CNN.
Cons
There is a policy, a form, etc. for EVERYTHING at this place. HR sent out an email letting everyone know that “Federation Fun Day” was MANDATORY, and that if you didn’t come on time to the company picnic, you’d lose a vacation day. The entire organization is so compartmentalized and it is so top down. If you have any idea of moving above your role at the Federation, think again. Management is terrible and ineffective. There is SO much waste at the Federation. After working here I would never donate to it… I’ve even convinced a relative to take it out if her will. HR periodically forgets to deduct from employees’ pay checks for Union dues, health insurance, etc. and then slams the employee with a large bill after several months… Oh yeah, the HMO with a massive deductible is like $400-500/month.
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Advice to Management
Replace the c-level executives. The old-timers in the company are leaving along with the millennials because they remember a time when it wasn’t a bad place to work.
