I worked at SeeAbility for 9 months, the first 3 months were fantastic, I felt supported (or as it turns out protected) by an incredible manager and head of, however when these both left after only a few months at SeeAbility themselves (alongside several other members of staff) I was a bit worried as to why this was happening. Once these managers left I was fully aware as to why they had, as they had protected me from what can only be described as the most foul, toxic, un-supportive and simply awful senior management and director team. So where do I start with why this was? 1. I had never worked in the charity field before and as such I was trying to learn and develop as much as I could, however once my managers left I was dropped with all their work and partnerships with little to no guidance. On top of this any training which was planned was forgotten and I was basically left to my own devices for months simply trying to do my best. 2. However, alongside this sheer amount of work, I was challenged with a highly un-organised director who was both in place as my manager, and not my manager, with clarity never really given as to who my new manager may be and after 6 months this was never clarified. 3. An interim manager was hired, who was part-time and who was put in to take on some of the work - with them being part time 2 days a week but with no plan on which 2 days this could be. The manager was allowed to completely choose their hours and days they would work, which may mean on a Monday they would demand work from me for the Tuesday, only for them not to be in on the Tuesday themself. 3. Reports I had worked on and proposals I had put together were ripped apart through 10+ rounds of feedback from the director and this interim manager - only for them to completely re-write them on submission and not let me know or let me know why this was so I could improve for the future. 4. At my 6 month probation, with no pre-tense or feedback prior to this from the director who was supposed to be managing me but was providing no support or real guidance, I was informed my probation was going to be extended for 3 months due to 'pace', that's all and that is all the reasoning I was given with no examples. This meeting was poorly managed by the director and I felt completely ripped apart with no hope for my career or role. After this meeting I was left in a constant state of anxiety whenever working at SeeAbility. 5. The HR team was as supportive as my director, as I then went to them for support after the brutal and horrendous probation meeting and shared my experience of feeling ripped apart instead of guided, given reasonings or any form of way to improve. The HR team basically said they couldn't do much, and if I did want action to be taken, I knew it may lead to the director simply letting me go. I needed the job so had to hold on as long as I could before finding a new role. 6. Eventually that plan simply couldn't happen, and I had to resign from the role without a new job secured as I simply couldn't take the environment the director had created any longer. 7. The director who worked above me was highly manipulative, as well as being clearly under-qualified for her own role - she often asked completely unprofessional questions in meetings with external stakeholders and I had to try and cover the questions which were unplanned, and completely outside of what SeeAbility could offer. These are only a few of the key moments that made working at SeeAbility the worst career experience in my life. I was not treated like a low-level staff member learning the ropes of charity work, nor even as a human being, but instead as a robot who was just fed work to complete with no thank yous, 1 to 1s, check ins, even a how are you. On the day after my birthday I was not even wished happy birthday, it may sound petty, but this was the level of rudeness and just disregard for me as a person. This is only one review but I implore you to please fully research SeeAbility and those who work there, and especially the management, before applying or taking up a role.
