Pros
- Being part of a life-changing ministry is very rewarding. Every day feels like you go to work for a purpose not just a pay cheque. - Meeting Compassion Graduates and seeing child sponsorship impact people for the better is inspiring and empowers you to become an advocate for the company. - There are some genuine people with integrity and passion to make a difference. Colleagues are servant-hearted and willing to help across teams and projects. - The office is clean, spacious and modern. There is unlimited coffee, tea and a gym and the commute is not too far from the town centre and train station. - There are a variety of social events and clubs to get involved in to get to know staff better. - The benefits are good for a charity - you get private medical and dental insurance. - Flexible working - you can work from home and they are open to flexible hours if you are a working parent. - A globally recognised brand to have on your CV. It's a flat organisation so the leadership at all levels are very approachable unlike traditional companies where there is more hierarchy. - The culture is very informal and relaxed which can be refreshing but a culture shock if you're from a more professional background. - Talking about your faith and praying together in teams puts the Christian ethos at the centre of the ministry. You can be openly Christian and talk about spiritual things without it being weird in comparison to a normal company. - Compassion is a fun company to work for if you want a steady charity job with no career growth and you like conformity.
Cons
Compassion UK and US offices are well known in Christian circles for having a very controlling and bullying culture. Compassion has a very strange, shiny on the outside toxic positivity cult-like culture that feels manufactured and inauthentic. Due to the micromanaging, unorganised communication and ever changing goal posts from middle and senior management, the company struggles with retention of staff. Over 60 people from various departments left in the time I was there! The company is a revolving door of the best talent leaving because management at all levels are not open to new ideas and seem incapable of taking risks to innovate new products. This also means they struggle with retaining supporters. There are no new products beyond child sponsorship and the current model they have has no market differentiation from competitors doing the same thing. Unless they update their product catalogue they will continue to be a sinking ship. The reviews flagging favouritism and double standards are true. Succeeding at Compassion isn't about how hard you work but whether your face fits. If you are white, middle class and don't question the status quo, you will have a long career here and be part of the Compassion clique. Covert racism and unconscious bias exists where BAME employees are treated differently to white employees. It's one of those companies that talk about Diversity and Inclusion but the majority of management are not diverse or seem to welcome diverse views. Compassion has a history of very talented staff in various departments being managed out of their jobs. This is due to insecure leadership and the emotionally manipulative 'we are a family' nature of the company. Any staff member who doesn't seem a cultural fit or speaks up about the changes needed to be made to the culture will be seen as a threat and performance-reviewed out. In my time at Compassion, many staff who left have said to me their workload increased to the point of burnout and exhaustion, leading to under appreciation and eventual resignation. This quiet firing technique is common in corporate companies. Unfortunately, although Compassion is a Christian charity, they are no different to any corporate looking to get rid of employees they don't like. The 'nice' culture is not genuine - there is a huge backstabbing culture that is more reminiscent of the Pharisees than the 'grace-filled' culture they profess. Working at Compassion has led many staff including myself, to join a union and avoid working for Christian companies because of the trauma experienced here. Before you consider working for Compassion, please read the lowest rated reviews for Compassion International - the issues raised in the US office are the same for the UK office too.
