Transform Rural India Foundation Reviews

Likes

This organization is a breeding ground for toxic favoritism, with a culture that thrives on connections rather than competence. If you happen to be in someone's good books, you essentially don’t have to work. The institution runs on blatant nepotism, with favoritism institutionalized across all levels. Every team is riddled with personal alliances, particularly husband-wife duos, who manipulate the system to their advantage. In Uttar Pradesh, for instance, the HR head is the wife of someone who is notorious for having the most complaints filed against him. This individual shamelessly threatens employees, saying, *"Your job is in my hands,"* creating a culture of fear and submission. Key positions are held by husband-wife teams, with power concentrated in their hands, leaving little room for accountability. The Managing Director plays favorites, promoting select individuals while assigning them oversight over others. This creates a hostile environment where promotions and scrutiny are weaponized to maintain control. The promise of a “non-hierarchical” structure is nothing but a facade. The hierarchy is glaringly obvious, even in trivial matters like vehicle allocations. Senior staff get luxury Innovas, juniors settle for hatchbacks, and associates are often left to travel by bus. Associates, despite their critical role on the ground, are excluded from any meaningful decision-making processes. Leadership remains disconnected, conducting only superficial field visits. The Managing Director, Anish, has no real understanding of the ground realities, as he never engages with associate practitioners, the backbone of the organization. The culture and climate within the organization are dire. The toxic favoritism not only demoralizes employees but also creates an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty. Employees are perpetually scared—scared of losing their jobs, scared of retaliation, and scared for their future. Complaints are swept under the rug, and no effort is made to address the deep-rooted issues plaguing the workplace. To make matters worse, there’s no genuine attempt to build a supportive or inclusive environment. Any semblance of celebration or team-building is non-existent. Employees are forced to spend out of pocket for personal milestones like birthdays, as the organization refuses to invest in its people. Leadership is entirely absent when it comes to employee welfare, focusing only on securing funding and impressing external stakeholders. This institution is a prime example of everything wrong with organizational culture—favoritism, nepotism, exploitation, and a complete disregard for employee well-being. The facade they present to funders and the outside world is nothing but a well-crafted lie, hiding a decaying, toxic core. It’s not just an organization; it’s a systematic failure, built on fear, favoritism, and falsehoods....Read More

Dislikes

The organization operates on a foundation of false promises, particularly in its claims of fostering a non-hierarchical culture. This so-called "non-hierarchy" is a sham; the hierarchy is blatantly evident, even on their official platforms. Worse, by denying the existence of a hierarchy, they’ve unofficially handed power to their favorites, enabling them to make decisions that are not only unethical but also inhumane and discriminatory, particularly against gender-inclusive practices. Transparency, which they tout as a core value, is non-existent. Communication within the organization is abysmal; no one communicates openly, and critical issues are swept under the rug. The Human Resources department is shockingly mediocre, staffed with individuals who lack merit but excel at favoritism. Meritocracy is dead, as hiring decisions are based on personal preferences rather than competence or qualifications. The management’s expertise lies not in fostering growth or a healthy work culture but in faking it to corporate social responsibility (CSR) donors and funding agencies. They masterfully create an illusion of productivity and innovation while doing absolutely nothing of value within the organization itself. Their entire approach hinges on securing funds, as they believe funding alone equals organizational growth. Employee welfare is utterly neglected. Forget about fun activities or celebrations—even on your birthday, you’re expected to spend your own money. Festive occasions are ignored entirely, as the organization refuses to allocate any budget for team-building or morale-boosting activities. Incentives or benefits beyond work? Non-existent. The salary structure is another area rife with discrimination. There’s a deliberate policy of suppressing wages for talented employees while inflating paychecks for their favorites. This blatant exploitation and mismanagement reveal an organization not just flawed but fundamentally corrupt. It’s a place where mediocrity is rewarded, innovation is stifled, and the facade of integrity is all that keeps it afloat....Read More

Work Details

Work days: Monday to Saturday (Strict Timings)

Likes

TRI is an organization having a fascinating and challenging vision to design solutions to transform quality life experiences in bottom villages where people are living with facilities decades behind. As per several data there are around one lakh such villages. There three a) Approach Community Action Lab (where TRI design, try and test solutions by direct engagement with Community and their local institutions like CLF-VO-SHG, Local Governance system like Panchayats & Local Administrations ie Different Departments ) b) Public Policy in Action : supporting Central & State Government departments to develop & implements solutions so that support services can bring positive transformative changes in Life and livelihoods of Common Populations c) Bending Market for Flourishing localities: to foster sustainable and equitable market system that empower rural communities. That's a mammoth Task to do and requires a massive energy & passions of development professionals as its not like simple project delivery, like getting sum fund and executing xyz activities. Till our independence, (and before that also) as nation we are suffering various development defects and trying turning that reality is tough but adventurous journey for any professionals. A mountaineers can dare to try to climb the Everest and rocks are for others... I feel that, if any one wants thrill of adventures as development sector than TRI is the best place for them, any professional can grow themselves as finest development Professional, if they wants. The organization provide independence to any professionals to try and test their own ideas, and approach, with a feeling of equality and comradely spirits. Only condition is community first spirit is prevailed here. Any one within the organization are equally empowered in decision making as of Joint Managing Directors, Directors , Associate Directors ... only thing are the basic principals and logic like community is in the center, Transparency in basic social & financial integrity. The organization believes in absolute financial & social integrity. It may be frustrating for those who are in the sector merely for wage earning but can be exciting journey for any development professionals who want to transform life & livelihood of people who are lacking opportunities, and suffering poor quality of life. The also have good packages for quality of professionals....Read More

Dislikes

Its quiet difficult for new people to understand and practice non hierarchical system and deliberative decision making process as its rarely exists...

Work Details

Work days: Monday to Friday (Flexible Timings)

Work related travel: This job involves Travel Within Country.

Likes

Unfortunately, my experience with the organisation was disappointing due to weak HR policies, poor administration, poor programmatic understanding, and a politically charged environment.

Dislikes

During my tenure with the organisation, I supported the PPIA but faced significant challenges due to poor leadership and lack of direction. The organisation lacked the strategic roadmap, clear pathways or defined health targets. to work towards. Recently, organisation has decided to focus on "Neighbourhood of care" initiative. However, this initiative too lacks a clear roadmap or strategy for field intervention, even after a year of its introduction. There has been no clarity provided on how to operationalise this vision, and the suggestions from the team members have not been adequately considered or acknowledged. The leadership particularly the Health lead, has struggled to provide programatic direction or inspires the team effectively. unfortunately this has led a significant attrition of talented professionals, who found it challenging to work under such circumstances. these issues have severely hindered the organisation's ability to achieve the goals in the health domain. The Organisation's strategy document outlines health indicatiors that do not align with its interventions, raising questions about the purpose and coherence of the document. this misalingenment is not limited to health but extends to other domain as well. As a professional, it's disheartening to misuse of funders' resources on documentation of government initiatives and clerical tasks of government agencies, rather than driving meaningful impact....Read More

Work Details

Work days: Monday to Friday (Strict Timings)

Work related travel: This job involves Travel Within Country.

Likes

I like the people working here and the support they provide to each other emotionally and professionally

Dislikes

Leadership, it’s not at all good, they don’t promote people on basis of performance. There is no performance indicators. You can be judged anytime for anything even if it doesn’t suppose to be your job. So all in all, it’s bad work culture.

Likes

Innovative model of working with multi thematic model

Dislikes

Involvement in all departments makes our goals unclear. Also creates a huge work load when all thematic leads started asking their thematic progress.

Work Details

Work days: Monday to Friday (Flexible Timings)

Work related travel: This job involves Travel Within Country.

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Dislikes

Work Details

Work days: Monday to Friday (Flexible Timings)

Work related travel: This job involves Travel Within Country.

Likes

Nothing, nothing much to say

Dislikes

Everything, Not much to say

Work Details

Work days: Monday to Saturday (Strict Timings)

Work related travel: This job involves Travel Within Country.

Likes

Work life balance

Dislikes

Hub of gossiping and office politics, sexism.