Columbia University reviews

Low pay for labor demand HUGE pay disparity for similar roles across the University Poor work-life balance - salaried workers are exploited to work more without compensation & some don’t respect out of office/after working hours boundaries Perpetually understaffed Purposefully limited union roles & anti-union sentiment from management

The bar is impossible to meet and senior leadership fundamentally doesn't understand what the role of administrators is. Mountains are made out of mustard seeds, key crucial decisions take weeks to make, and check-ins are seen as a procedural necessity without much substance or action. There is constant talk of ideas but no actionable movement only for senior leadership to follow up weeks or months later and deem these same ideas as urgent and top priority. Everything is always important and it's also urgent and must be done NOW! Pay is abysmally low. Asking for a raise will almost always result in months of stalling and gaslighting. There are several folks who have taken 'medical leaves of absence' only to resign when they're due to return. Mentally, I am never off from my work. I am always thinking about work, tapped into my work. Whether it's 6 AM or 10 PM, you should be available. The phrase 'I don't have the bandwidth' is not respected and seen as you being a personal failure. There is no such thing as work life balance. You simply work and try to find ways to have a life in the 3 hours of free time you have. You are rewarded with food. No pay, no breaks, just the occasional lunch. I once had a coworker tell me I use bathroom breaks as a reward only after I've finished a few tasks. Unfortunately many colleagues outside of SEAS also feel very similarly.