Pros
I spent 15 years at Harvard. The benefits are great, and the access to resources is fantastic. I still miss the library system—there’s nothing else like it out there. I met many wonderful people and greatly appreciated the ability to attend the Extension School tuition-free—I got two graduate degrees there and as a result, was able to advance my career—once I got out of Harvard. Their Center for Workplace Development is an overlooked resource that has fabulous programs. I still use many skills gained from the Foundations of Leadership program. The Ombudsman’s office is another essential resource (see below!). Overall, working there was an amazing experience and I loved much of the culture outside of the department I worked in for so long. There are a lot of great places all around Harvard—just not the one I was in.
Cons
I spent most of my years in the Alumni Affairs and Development Office. It was a good start, but after numerous restructurings over the years, management cared less and less about work-life balance. By the end of my time there, I was routinely putting in 60 to 70 hours per week, and a brutal deadline schedule kept me from taking time off. There was a narrow window of about a month where everyone in the office had to compete for vacation time—and even then—vacation time felt more like working remotely, because you always had to check in. The culture became especially miserable after the budget cuts following the recession, and never really improved. We were asked to take on more and more—raises were tiny, and we were told a “C is the new A” when it came to performance evaluations. After demonstrating that I was doing way more than what was on my job description, management spent two years making vague promises to re-evaluate my job grade. It never happened. Ultimately, AA&D’s culture was oppressive in its micromanaging, and the bullying was pervasive. Quality of life became more to me important than the positive aspects of Harvard. By the time I left, it was a nasty, toxic atmosphere, with a high turn-over rate among staff.