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Harvard University

Is this your company?

Not as cool as you would think - Anonymous employee Harvard University Employee Review

2.0
May 24, 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good benefits. 35 hour work week. Plenty of holidays off.

Cons

I worked with a lot of people who really weren't on their game. Their skills weren't that great and their aspirations weren't that high. Some were downright cruel. I saw a lot of managers and non-managers who behaved in petty, arbitrary and unimaginative ways. The information systems and processes that I saw were less developed than those I had seen in smaller "no-name" businesses. I guess the overall message is don't assume you will be working with people who behave in professional and nice ways with excellent skills just because you are working at "Harvard" - a lot of what I saw happening there was quite dumb.

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5.0
Jul 13, 2026
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Pros

Light work if you have the right team

Cons

Low pay for amount of work

2.0
Jun 30, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
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Pros

Great Union and benefits for non-profits/higher ed. Wonderful colleagues outside of leadership!

Cons

GSD Development and Alumni Relations (under current leadership) is an incredibly toxic work environment. I didn't realize the intensity of the toll it took on my until after leaving, and I am not one to leave a negative review, but as they are hiring for several positions currently, I wish to share words of caution with applicants. Cons: - Absolutely not a safe space for anyone who is Black, brown, trans, queer, working-class, or disabled - 100% top-down direction. No room for personal exploration, initiative, or creativity. - Minimal guidance from leadership - Frequent pivots, even in the late stages of projects - Petty, immature talking behind your back by leadership - No upward mobility unless the Associate Dean or Dean like you - Deeply disingenuous comments, reflections, and feedback from leadership - Complete lack of transparency on direction, goals, etc. - Small mistakes are made cornerstones of performance evaluations, while leadership routinely missteps. Leadership never takes accountability. - Top-down policy decisions, completely lacking detail, thought, and care outside of legal ramifications - Ever-changing in-office requirements

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