- Management that can be described variably as cruel, condescending, indifferent, ineffectual, incompetent, and ill-suited for the job. Managers will mock employees who request raises.
-- Decisions affecting day-to-day workflows are made by people who are unfamiliar with those processes; this includes responses to concerns about workloads.
-- Journal policy changes are implemented on a whim and technical improvements to make those new workflows possible are promised eventually.
-- If someone you're working with is unhappy about anything, you can expect to be blamed for it. Your immediate supervisor may or may not have your back, but there's a culture of disregard for entry-level workers that inevitably wins out.
-- Management does not take criticism kindly. Deciding whether to speak out about something may impact your pay. The DEI committee, which was created at the urging of the staff, has been told not to focus on concerns involving management.
- Low pay, low raises. Annual merit pay increases in the 3% range. They don't allow anyone to negotiate their salary, which is well-intended but results in uniformly low pay instead of uneven pay. Entry-level positions get can promoted twice and then your pay will stagnate.
- Quasi-affiliation with The National Academies organization makes employment logistics difficult. The people you will work with in HR and IT are not people you will work with often. Academies leadership handled the transition back to "hybrid" work very poorly.
