Working at Philadelphia Museum of Art

The pros of working at the PMA were the location and proximity to the finer things of the city. The fabulous artwork and exhibits kept most of us motivated to remain employed.

There were/are many cons to working here; first and foremost the discouraging and gloomy climate within the museum. It took months between my initial interview and job offer which were a big indicator in the overall atmosphere. Within the IT department, there was internal chaos as well as resistance from other department heads on nearly every initiative introduced. Head-spinning employee turnover at nearly every level and department speaks to the dissatisfaction felt by the majority of employees due to below average compensation, ground-level morale and disfunction at every turn.

The biggest benefit was interaction with visitors from throughout the world. Hopping on the employee / visitor trolley gave a much needed pause from the otherwise unhappy work day.

Our CEO at the time was okay. He had a difficult role in that he sort of faced ongoing resistance from the President whose office was directly across from him. In a sense, you had two captains of the same ship which never bodes well. As a new employee, you sensed the discord and tension almost immediately.

The museum desperately must rebuild from the ground up in terms of policy & procedure. There was such a lingering attitude of "we've always done things this way" which contributed to a lack of real change and employee satisfaction. Sadly, the PMA spent thousands of dollars for a top "consultant" to come and evaluate and observe, but that led to very little improvement.

I prepared for my interview by researching the museum. Brushing up on non-profit terms and understanding.

Below average.

There was a big push to increase diversity. Certain groups had no problem with representation while others were less represented and respected. For example, my Associate Director on more than one occasion belittled me for my religious background despite me never mentioning or promoting my belief system.

Again, my answer is related to the art and collection which remains a common denominator among most of the employees.