Toxic Work Culture/Need to Unionize - Director Utah Valley University Employee Review

If you are not a part of the dominant Utah ideology and culture, you will probably have a difficult time with "fit." There is low-grade proselytizing on campus, and all the high-ranking people are coincidently ranked in the dominant cultural institution of the state, or so it seems. That said, poor leadership in general is pretty equal opportunity, especially on the student services side. (I cannot speak about the faculty side.) I have seen loyal and hardworking UVU staff members, mostly minorities, get arbitrarily placed on things like "extended probation" without recourse or given negative evaluations without an explanation or a chance to respond. There is extremely high turnover because of impromptu resignations and questionable terminations. I have seen staff treated poorly by students and other employees, and the powers-that-be allow it to continue. It should come as no surprise that UVU has difficulty retaining staff of color, mostly because of the "super secret probations" exploited by high ranking supervisors. UVU is not serious about Multicultural issues, though the marketing department works hard at keeping up the appearance for obvious reasons. In terms of being a new hire, probation means probation. You can be released with or without cause with no recourse. UVU means exactly this, unlike quality universities or retail stores. Please keep that in mind before relocating from out of state or buying a house in Orem. Honestly, the UVU staff need to unionize--and the sooner, the better. If you decide to roll the dice, keep a log/journal and archive of all of your interactions with your supervisors and HR. This may be useful when it is time to leave for something better.