Meaningful work, Poor Management & Leadership
Pros
The work done here is in theory, really community centered and there is opportunity to work with many lovely people that work on behalf of underserved populations. As much of UC Davis, there is a relative amount of resources provided to do your job: laptop, cell phone, travel expenses covered, etc. Being part of the UC system gives you access to lots of great lectures and perks, including great benefits and better than average pay. There are a few people there that have some impressive experience and it is great to work with people who really understand their job the field of their expertise.
Cons
This center is a great idea that is hindered by a well-meaning leader that does not have the skills to run an organization and unfortunately, has hired an inexperienced and immature manager to oversee the employees. The work culture has vacillated between neglect of employees learning and supervision and a literal, rigid, micromanagement style that is not appropriate for the level of employees in this unit. New and creative ideas are threatening to this management team and an employee will not survive here unless they are ok with following contradictory instructions and being blamed for the poor outcomes. Perhaps the most consequential element missing in this leadership is the ability to provide guidance to staff. There are plenty of directives given, but a real absence of professional discussions that would allow employees to understand how to improve their work. Leadership appears unable to provide this and the work culture suffers. Employees are defensive because they are blamed, confused because there are not well though out instructions and demoralized because there is a focus on controlling employees rather than teaching them how to meet the expectations. In short, don't work here, it's a stifling environment.
