it's all about who you work for - Manager AARP Employee Review

3.0
20 Jul 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

i worked at AARP for more than 7 years before leaving. lots of pros (obviously, I was there for a long time), lots of cons (and obviously something made me decide to leave) PROS: - good pay - great benefits - decent work life balance depending on your manager and department - mission-driven org -- enjoyed making a difference in people's lives

Cons

- it's all about who your manager is. if you've got a good one, you'll be fine. if not, don't expect a promotion or title change while you're there. you have to be ok with the pay and little chance throughout your time there for movement within the organization. so know that going in - no room for growth and poor training - this place has more internal politics and drama than anywhere I've ever worked - such a big organization that navigating the internal groups, etc is challenging - HR does not help you - they put up with poor management -- people in positions of power who abuse them, and nothing is done

Explore other reviews about AARP

5.0
28 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

great benefits even for interns like free lunch, reimbursed parking, hybrid work. good opportunities to network, hone your skills, and potentially get a permanent role within the organization.

Cons

long onboarding. lots of hr training.

2.0
2 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

benefits are strong - pension, vacation, sick, caregiving work life balance is generally good

Cons

AARP suffers from a serious toxic work culture, particularly in the IT and Digital Transformation departments. Leadership is atrocious. People leading the 2 key technology functions for the business are incompetent and ego maniacs. Both departments are extremely toxic with burned out employees and contractors. Money gets wasted in the extreme due to these factors. Constant signal switching on projects and priorities. Everyone you work with is unhappy. Bullying and retaliation are common. Avoid these departments in particular, but the whole organization is top heavy, with terrible leadership all around. Still there are some great and talented people, but it's not the norm, and senior leadership is wrought with incompetence and arrogance. The organization flails around endlessly, and blows money with no discipline or rigor to their work and methods. Think someone is juicing the Glassdoor numbers with people saying the place is great. No opportunity for growth. The organization tries to do good work, and does in many ways, but it's so poorly run that it severely hampers its potential.

4
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