Honestly, where to even begin.
Pedigree is everything to these people. If you’ve ever wondered if leadership puts themselves on a pedestal, you’d be right but you probably wouldn’t notice at first because of just how high that pedestal is. If you want any sort of growth, professional development, mentorship, etc. you’ll definitely be promised it and then promptly pushed around for literal months on end after being told to change yourself to be a certain way one day and the next being criticized and have your character questioned and job threatened for doing just that, only to eventually be pushed down so mentally low that you finally realize that you never had a chance in the first place because you’re not a certificant! And even if you are certified, good luck if you don’t want to join the clique. If you’re not drinking the cool-aid you might as well be gasping for air.
If you’re looking for the kind of job with good training and resources, you’d have better luck being proficient in your job at McDonalds (shout out to McDonald’s) than this poorly managed, disorganized, sorry excuse for a business. Changes are made on the fly and very reactively, and even if that wasn’t bad enough, no one makes note of the said changes or reasoning behind the change so they ultimately end up contradicting themselves as departments delve deeper and deeper into chaos and misdirection. But even then, of course that is all the fault of those doing the actual leg work for a bunch of holier than thou credential holders because heaven forbid you ever exercise their “proud culture” of giving feedback to anyone that has a higher title than you. It may as well be the Wild West.
Do you ever have emergencies or unexpected life changes? Well you better knock that selfish stuff off before you sign your offer letter because if you so much as dare to have a family member pass away unexpectedly or decide to grow your family, you better prepare yourself for that to ultimately be used against you for any slight change in mood, tone, mistakes, etc. that they may perceive. And speaking of perception, be prepared to be reminded constantly of how people “perceive” you and be given “gentle reminders, that aren’t yet feedback” with no specific information on how to actually address or change behaviors because even though you are being perceived by others, your supervisor ultimately will stand by their claim that they don’t see or understand why others have a problem because they don’t have an issue. And they won’t have an issue until it’s convenient for them to put you down randomly on a Tuesday, or maybe even a Wednesday morning! Wednesdays are the one work from home day per week that you are allowed but if you’re ever asked to come into the office, you better watch out! You’re likely getting laid off or fired and being told that you’re mediocre at best after receiving glowing quarterly reviews back to back where no concerns were ever addressed, brought to your attention, or even vaguely whispered about.
Do you want the peace of mind of having leadership that knows who they are, isn’t reactive, and is reliable? Keep looking! All you’ll find here is lost, insecure, and inconsistent management that needs to put others down to keep people in line and compliant instead of actually working on how they can better themselves and retain employees.
Even if you are a certificant just browsing what employees have to say about the BACB, let me assure you- if you’ve ever wondered how people who are running the board, making standards for your field, establishing who can and cannot sit for an exam speak of you and your peers, know that you are not being awarded the respect and dignity you might give the people you look up to. Especially if you make mistakes, rest assured you are being mocked and ridiculed for years to come. And your livelihood is also likely being judged based on whatever mood leadership is in that day too! And even if they claim to have standardized practices, trust me- they don’t! On the off chance they did decide to write down a procedure, if you rile them up enough I can guarantee you it’s being thrown out the window so they can police you how they see fit.
Oh and if you’re ever curious about how they pay employees, it really doesn’t matter because if you’re doing the grunt work you’re only eligible for a bonus that is maybe 1.5% of your annual income. And the wild part is you that can look up, as a nonprofit, what leadership is making every year and see that their bonuses are almost HALF of what they make annually.
I could continue to go on about how awful this environment is. Run so so far away from this place unless you are willing and able to be subject to literal mental chess on a daily basis. I have never felt worse about myself than in my time spent working here. Save yourself the years and precious memories and joy you cannot get back and keep looking. It’s worth it. I can promise you that.
