Pros
The only functioning part of the organisation is the frontline staff. They are hardworking, committed, and consistently go above and beyond despite being overstretched and underpaid. They are what keeps the organisation running day to day. Many of the volunteers are also outstanding. They are generous with their time and are genuinely passionate about the cause. They deserve far more recognition, support, and respect than they currently receive.
Cons
Senior management and the CEO are, quite honestly, the worst leadership team I have ever encountered. Truly appalling. It is genuinely baffling how they got their roles because they seem massively underqualified for the level of responsibility they hold. They are hugely overpaid for what they actually do, especially when compared to the frontline staff who carry the entire organisation. There is no HR department. None. In itself, that should be the biggest warning imaginable. When issues arise including bullying, overwork or wellbeing concerns , there is nowhere safe or independent to go. You are left completely exposed. There is a bullying culture driven by management. It’s not subtle. It’s not rare. It’s embedded. Incompetent managers with no real leadership skills treat staff terribly and appear to have no interest in people’s wellbeing. There is zero support. My mental health has never been as bad as it was working there. There is no care, no safeguarding from stress, and no meaningful support system in place. Charity money is spent on luxurious, unnecessary things at senior level, while staffing is deliberately kept thin. You end up doing the job of three people, chasing completely unrealistic and often impossible KPIs. You finish every day exhausted, and you dread coming back the next morning. Staff are given less than the legal minimum holiday allowance, which says everything about how little employees are valued. At every level, it feels like they will take as much as they can from you. Priorities change constantly depending on whatever senior management decide that week. There is no clear direction, no long-term strategy, and absolutely no communication. You are expected to just absorb the chaos and cope. Going above and beyond is not rewarded it’s punished. The more capable you are, the more they pile on. Initiative is not valued. Effort is not recognised. The overwhelming message is do more, with less, and don’t question it. There is an alarming ignorance from senior leadership when it comes to real-life issues affecting staff, volunteers, and the old people the organisation claims to serve. Safeguarding and protection feel like afterthoughts to those at the top. The people who actually care are the frontline teams and volunteers, not the ones making the big decisions. It increasingly feels like a money grab. The focus is on how much money can be generated, not on the cause itself. The mission is used as a shield, but internally it’s all about targets and income. No chance of progression, training or promotions. I truthfully do not know how the organisation is still running. I have never seen worse mismanagement in my career. An overwhelming number of staff are actively trying to leave. That alone should say everything. Avoid at all costs.