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      Guide Dogs for the Blind

      Engaged employer

      Guide Dogs for the Blind Reviews

      3.5

      59% would recommend to a friend

      (44 total reviews)
      avatar

      Christine Benninger

      80% approve of CEO

      59% positive business outlook

      Ratings by category

      3.5

      Culture and values

      3.4

      Work/Life balance

      3.3

      Compensation and benefits

      3.2

      Diversity and inclusion

      3.2

      Senior management

      3.0

      Career opportunities

      Guide Dogs for the Blind has an employee rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars, based on 44 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Guide Dogs for the Blind employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Non-profit and NGO industry (3.7 stars).

      Reviews by job title

      44 reviews
      1.0
      7 Mar 2017

      Great mission, toxic work environment

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business outlook

      Pros

      Great mission, it is great to be a part of something that is helping people

      Cons

      The company culture is really awful. There is a lot of pettiness among employees and not a lot of support or camaraderie. The organization is very sterile and impersonal and there is very low morale among employees. There is a lot of griping and negativity, people are unhappy but seem to feel uncomfortable approaching management so just complain to other employees. Employees are made to feel dispensable and replaceable, and that they should feel honored to have been selected to work here (even though the organization seems to have a very hard time filling open positions, which remain vacant for extended periods of time and increase the workload for everyone else in the department). The CWNT/CWTT are understaffed to the point it is a welfare issue for the dogs (and employees). The residence hall and admin building are fancy and modern, however the facilities for the dogs are in disrepair. The kennels are outdated and create a safety hazard for both dogs and employees- sharp edges, unraveling chain link with sharp loose wires, crumbling concrete, and lots of spaces for dogs to get legs/paws caught.

      avatar
      Guide Dogs for the Blind Response
      9y
      Thank you very much for your feedback. Guide Dogs for the Blind is committed to creating a safe, transparent, and collaborative environment for all our employees, so we are very disappointed to hear about your experiences. We value and consider all feedback and we’ll continue to find ways to improve our organization. We would like to address a few of your specific concerns here. GDB is dedicated to creating a culture of safety and has invested in enhancements to our campus as well as new safety policies and procedures. Many of these have been implemented to improve the kennel environment for employees as well as our dogs. As you noted, our new puppy center will further improve our working environment as well as create healthier, more nurturing habitats for mothers and their pups. We plan to continue to improve our existing kennels and hope to replace it with a new facility over time. We have also committed considerable time and resources in creating a more transparent and collaborative culture. Over the past several years, we have increased efforts to train and develop employees at all levels, introduced new feedback mechanisms, and encouraged more open dialogue through communications, all staff meetings, and other mechanisms. However, we fully understand that improving our culture will take a total and ongoing commitment from all levels of our organization. So, if you have additional ideas in this area, we would be more than open to hearing them. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts; we would welcome the opportunity to continue the conversation in person if you would like.
      1.0
      21 Feb 2016

      Not the place it appears to be

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business outlook

      Pros

      Great benefits, wonderful mission, passionate employees and beautiful campus and who doesn't love their dogs.

      Cons

      Donors would be appalled to know how much of their donation goes to internal employee turmoil from "Resolution Training" to a third party consultant. Inefficient HR department and a culture of what one does wrong and rarely what one does right.There is definitely an elitist attitude that you should just be happy to work there. Poor leadership and poor employee morale. Poor employee retention.

      1.0
      3 May 2018

      Hostile Work Environment

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business outlook

      Pros

      Beautiful campus, good mission and enjoy working with the dogs

      Cons

      – Very negative work environment. Lack in trust of management and HR exists among employees. Lack of retention of dedicated and committed staff members due to their frustration with management and HR. Ongoing turmoil amongst employees. The reviews on this site that are positive must be from mid management employees or new employees that do not know any better yet. It’s easy to meet people in the community that have known someone that was mistreated by GDB. Their reputation among many current employees and endless amount of ex-employees is of a company that treats their employees terribly. Common quote from employees “Wasn’t that the worse place you have every worked?” Very disappointing. Donors would be surprised.

      avatar
      Guide Dogs for the Blind Response
      8y
      Your review and insights are appreciated. Like many organizations, our culture has had its ups and downs over the years. Guide Dogs for the Blind is committed to continuing our efforts in fostering a truly collaborative and supportive environment and living up to our Values & Behaviors. Change is a process that requires ongoing effort and support. Much good work has been done on all levels within the organization and open and honest feedback helps to highlight the areas to focus on for continued improvement. Your headline of “Hostile Work Environment” is extremely concerning to us. Guide Dogs for the Blind’s policy prohibits behavior of any kind that would create a hostile work environment and we are committed to fully investigating all such claims. We ask that you please raise your concerns with our VP of Human Resources or directly with me (CEO) so that we can take appropriate action as soon as possible. Should you want to see our full policy, it is available in the employee handbook located on our Intranet. Please know that Guide Dogs for the Blind will not retaliate or take adverse employment action against any employee because they participate in any protected opposition of employment practices. As mentioned above, we are very committed to improving the culture for all employees within the organization and we would love to have the opportunity to talk with you in more detail about your concerns and ideas for improvement. We just completed an employee engagement survey administered by a third party and the results were very positive. We are happy to receive such great results and excited to be hearing that employees are feeling good about the organization and that we are moving in the right direction. We understand even with such positive results there are always areas of opportunity to continue this trend and we will continue our efforts to do so. Our employees, volunteers, donors, and clients are our lifeblood and we truly value each and every one. Thank you for your honesty, candor, and contributions.
      Viewing 1 - 3 of 44 Reviews
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      ReviewsGuide Dogs for the Blind reviews

      Glassdoor has 45 Guide Dogs for the Blind reviews submitted anonymously by Guide Dogs for the Blind employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Guide Dogs for the Blind is right for you.