Mass Exodus.....and national is silent. - Anonymous employee Year Up United Employee Review

2.0
5 Feb 2019
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

There are some experienced and well-qualified individuals that are passionate about the mission Observable growth from students

Cons

• Clueless senior leadership • Decisions are made without full context and staff are told to “make it work” • The executive director and senior director both need attention and to hear their title spoken OFTEN • Even though Year Up is a feedback culture, the feedback given to senior leadership is used against you and your remaining time is made unbearable—hostile and toxic work environment. I have witnessed (former) colleagues ignored, mistreated, and pushed out of the door. • If you don’t appease senior leadership, they will give you the silent treatment. • Ill-equipped Individuals are promoted and then are responsible for managing processes AND people, neither of which are successfully executed. • Decisions are made and the population that the organization serves is not considered and the students suffer severely as a result. • The mission is often sacrificed to “make the numbers” and as a result, some students are sent to corporate partners and are not setup for success. It was once stated by senior leadership, “sometimes you have to sacrifice one or two for the good of the group.” • Staff members are kept on staff after committing acts when students are fired for less. • Inconsistent expectations for staff and leadership as people decide to work from home multiple times each week. • Performance reviews are laughable when individuals who have never done the work tell you how to do the work.

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Year Up United Response
7y
Thank you for your review. We are concerned about the challenges referenced at Year Up, and would like to ensure we can understand the context for your concerns so we may take steps to address them. Please reach out to provide additional feedback at feedback@yearup.org and/or let us know the best way to contact you directly to continue the dialogue. Thank you in advance for your willingness to share more.

Explore other reviews about Year Up United

5.0
31 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Flexibility, team culture, colleague dedication, meaningful work

Cons

Sudden benefit elimination (professional development funds, sabbatical, student loan support, etc.), sudden change in hybrid-work policy,

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4.0
24 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Love working here; commitment to DEI and supporting students toward job opportunity and economic agency; everyone I work with is really smart and passionate and good at what they do

Cons

Can be hard to take time off despite decent PTO package; upper leadership doesn't seem to trust or value the feedback of the people doing direct work with students; after big layoffs early 2026, a lot of us are working extra hard and would appreciate some grace and understanding and flexibility from leadership

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