Staying because of the underlying mission, colleagues despite significant challenges
Pros
Brilliant colleagues, some who take on the deep challenges with a measured bravery that inspires me. Very supportive and experienced middle managers and direct supervisors. Work life balance options and health benefits are good. Vacation and leave policies are good not great considering the field we are in. This work is under attack from all sides; it's never been more important work than it is now!
Cons
Non-transparent leveling has left people in the organization confused about where they fit and how/whether they are valued employees to Ipas as a whole. Some lasting inequities have been reinforced and gone unchanged with a new structure without a clear advocate or process for rectification. New CEO and COO are not visible during tough times and think they can simply re-write the mission and values of an organization with a long history and deep ties and commitment to communities. Some in upper management and human resources do not seem to understand that attaining health, access, and rights to abortion (or even the less principled though easier to sell "reducing unsafe abortion") is only possible when you acknowledge how power, stigma, race, and paternalism influence even the most user centered systems. The organization is losing amazing staff specifically some brilliant young women of color. I fear the next farewell email and mourn the loss of the energy to the organization and sometimes to the whole field as people who leave take jobs at less radically awesome organizations or in a related field. I leave the responsibility for all of the departures firmly at the doors of new upper management and the residual, unspoken effects of a deeply traumatic, multi-wave firing process.
