Association for Talent Development reviews about "management"

I disagree that ATD breeds a “culture of fear”. It’s a dangerous sentiment that, ironically, makes new hires scared to actually approach management.

Don’t be afraid to negotiate your salary if you don’t feel you’re being paid enough!

ATD shows many signs of an organization in decline: steady membership loss, multiple underperforming business lines, high staff turnover, constant restructuring, and recently, layoffs. In an ongoing attempt to reverse course, leadership frequently introduces new marketing gimmicks, campaigns, or conferences. But none of these seem to address the core issues. While ATD has historically contributed to the HR and talent development field over the past 80+ years, its current offerings feel out of touch—overpriced and lacking in relevance or perceived value. The organizational leadership seems increasingly disconnected from the needs and preferences of today’s workforce. While remote work is technically allowed, there’s ongoing resistance to it from the top, with frequent changes to policy that create anxiety and uncertainty for staff. The president’s leadership team is largely composed of long-tenured loyalists who frequently rotate through leadership roles without deep expertise. They often act as gatekeepers, shielding the president from ideas they assume he won’t support, even when those ideas are often in line with his own stated vision. Middle management is often toxic and overly controlling, stifling professional growth rather than nurturing it. Micromanagement is the norm. Staff with experience and new ideas are frequently sidelined by managers who appear more focused on self-preservation than team development. Performance reviews are demoralizing and formulaic. Rather than offering meaningful feedback or paths for growth, the process centers on how well employees align with ATD’s stated values. Scores are limited to 1 (needs improvement), 2 (meets expectations), and 3 (exceeds expectations)—yet 3 is treated as virtually unattainable, and most people receive a 2. This lack of differentiation discourages excellence and ambition. The administrative burden is also high. Weekly time entry is required—even for salaried employees—which feels outdated and unnecessary. Health insurance costs are exorbitant. Perhaps most troubling is that there is no safe or meaningful channel for employees to voice concerns. Favoritism is obvious and prevalent, and psychological safety is lacking.

Too many layoffs and bad management from the top. Too many control freaks who act like they know what they are doing.

There's no lounge or place to eat during lunch (but that doesn't matter now and there's a lot of place in King St.) There were many layoffs and employees quitting awhile back (due to management), which caused me to worry - not sure about now. A lot of favoritism so if you're introverted, good luck. It's the typical setting: extroverts who talk a lot gets rewarded and the introverts who listen to ideas and execute them don't really get any acknowledgment. There's no accountability and some people don't know what they're doing or turn things late which hurts and look bad on other departments. Since its a nonprofit, they don't pay well. It's understandable if you're just starting out, but you should still get compensated appropriately for the work you're doing.

Lack of consistency across organization. Lots of inside politics. Leadership lacks managerial skills/training. Resources lacking making it hard to succeed. Favoritism in upper management. CEO out of touch with needs of the organization. Lots of false promises that never are followed through.

-Senior level management is WAY out of touch with company needs. -People are actually fearful of management (even certain managers) and walk on egg shells around their delicate egos. -Everything trickles down to individual contributors and makes for a really toxic work environment -When I quit due to compensation I was told by HR "Yeah, we don't comp anywhere near what a company in this area should"....expect to make 15-20k less than you would.

False promises, shady operations, management

For an association dedicated to training and development, they do a pretty poor job training their employees. I was employed at ATD for only a year, but I felt that I could never grasp the essential responsibilities of my job. There was little oversight from my boss, who was not an effective leader, and could not effectively train me. There was also not a clear pathway for advancement. People are afraid of Tony, the CEO, because like many of the former disgruntled employees have mentioned, chooses favorites. If you are not upper management, or someone who is in direct contact with him, he has little interest in getting to know you. In all of my years working for various companies, I've never encountered this with a leader. It's appalling, and I'm frankly surprised he's still there. I really wish I could say I enjoyed my time at ATD, but the best thing that came out of it was my job that came after.