Caring staff undervalued by disconnected leadership - Director ANDRUS Employee Review

During my time at Andrus, I continue to observe a significant gap between the organization’s stated values and the way many decisions are made in practice. This inconsistency creates confusion, lowers morale, and makes it difficult for staff to perform their jobs effectively. Communication from senior leadership is often unclear, inconsistent, or absent. Staff are frequently expected to manage complex responsibilities with limited guidance, support, or direction. Important decisions are sometimes made without adequate transparency, leaving employees uncertain about priorities, expectations, and organizational goals. When leadership is not visible, accessible, or responsive, staff are left to navigate challenges on their own, which increases frustration and the likelihood of mistakes. There is also a widespread perception among staff that favoritism influences hiring decisions, promotions, housing benefits, and other opportunities within the organization. Whether this perception is fully accurate or not, leadership should recognize that perception itself matters. When employees believe personal relationships carry more weight than qualifications, experience, performance, or commitment to the mission, trust in leadership is undermined and morale suffers. The Human Resources department appears disconnected from the values the organization publicly promotes. HR should serve as a trusted, neutral, and transparent resource that ensures fairness, accountability, and consistency throughout the organization. Instead, many staff perceive HR as primarily protecting leadership interests rather than supporting employees or addressing concerns objectively. There is a need for significantly greater transparency regarding hiring practices, promotions, internal opportunities, compensation decisions, and organizational privileges. Staff deserve to understand how decisions are made and to feel confident that opportunities are awarded fairly and based on merit. When processes are unclear, employees may conclude that favoritism and personal relationships are valued more highly than competence, professionalism, and dedication. Staff are often held to standards that do not appear to be applied consistently across all levels of the organization. Employees are expected to comply with attendance policies, scheduling requirements, and accountability measures, while leadership is sometimes perceived as operating under a different set of expectations. This inconsistency creates resentment and contributes to a culture where staff feel undervalued and disconnected from leadership. The organization promotes the Sanctuary Model and trauma-responsive care, yet there appears to be limited recognition of the impact organizational stress, instability, uncertainty, and poor communication have on employees. Trauma-responsive care should not only guide interactions with children and families; it should also shape how leaders communicate, make decisions, manage change, and support staff. During periods of fiscal challenge, restructuring, or uncertainty, employees need clear communication, psychological safety, and visible leadership. Too often, the focus appears to be on maintaining appearances rather than fully embracing trauma-responsive principles throughout the organization. It is particularly concerning when individuals in the programs department without relevant clinical expertise make decisions that directly affect the treatment environment, program integrity, or the well-being of children and families. Organizations serving vulnerable populations must ensure that decisions affecting clinical care are informed by appropriate expertise and guided by the best interests of those receiving services. Program staff’s credentials should be audited and ensure area of expertise align with work. Many staff members demonstrate extraordinary dedication, professionalism, flexibility, and compassion. They show up every day to support children and families through crises, trauma, and significant life challenges. These employees deserve leadership that values their contributions, supports their development, communicates honestly, and treats them with respect. Instead, many employees report feeling unheard, unsupported, and unappreciated. The cumulative effect of these issues has damaged morale, weakened trust, increased turnover risk, and moved the organization further away from the values and mission it seeks to uphold. The agency has many talented and committed employees who genuinely care about the children and families they serve. Rebuilding trust will require leadership to engage in honest self-reflection and meaningful change.