Transform Rural India Foundation Project Fellow 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

Closely Working with the government and make effective govt prog and scheme benefits for the rural community is great. Idea is good that's why people attracts to work, but f**k the people minds and creating pressure situation and hawabazi.

Dislikes

Chhattisgarh State Leadership is run by a Family. This is another BSP & Congress Party where family culture get promoted. They think they are leaders - Self claimed. They speak shits. Initial stage it was supporting, but power ka nasha sar par had chuka hai... and only giving Gyan. Lakhpati Banyaenge Gyan Dekar Sirf. Organization modus operand is like this........ "TRi is knowledge partner .... Ground pe Kaam Karo toh bolega, We are their to facilitate the process, Facilitate karo toh bolega where is your effort on ground, how many people you have met drive changes in the people's life." He is making fool the government and Minister as well. they make fool to their junior colleagues, bureaucrats and now Ministers as well. Mr. Self Claimed Leader think people don't understand his Bluffbaji. Now CG State is driving in wrong hand, he doesn't want to promote parallel leader because of his insecurity to lose driving position. Now he started to disrespect publicly his colleague also. Leadership means you hold hand of ur colleague and support to drive if he stucks somewhere not demean publicly. I Left this place cuze of ambiguity of work and their Theory of Change's achievement. At the end of Story, completely shit space to work....Read More

Work Details

Work days: Monday to Friday (Strict 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

The good thing about the company is that they simply copy government data and present it as their own work. They consistently replicate models from other organizations and claim them as original. The people working there are mostly below average, and talented individuals rarely join. Even if they do, they tend to leave within six months due to the lack of opportunities for growth and improvement. If you’re someone who’s good at clerical tasks, has no career ambitions, and are lucky enough to get a decent posting that suits your job role, they essentially pay you to copy government data and schemes....Read More

Dislikes

The company is run by sycophants of the MDs, who are either from PMRDF or Pradhan, and they are biased towards these groups. The associate directors treat the company like their personal business, enjoying immunity from the MDs, who are blinded by constant flattery and exaggerated reports of work. In reality, these directors are middle-aged individuals who lack the wisdom or energy to understand the world, running the company as their personal property by transferring employees to undesirable locations to force them to quit. Women are treated inhumanely, not considered for growth, yet the company still hires more women to appease their funders. The funders, in turn, are also blind, providing large sums of money, which is primarily spent on marketing the work that is actually done by the government. There is no real plan or strategy to implement any meaningful projects; instead, endless meetings are held, discussing values and culture in what is actually a toxic work environment. There is no support for employees, no promotion or growth unless you're close to the MD. People come for the salary but remain stuck at the same level for 3-4 years with only inflation-adjusted 5% raises. The company lacks a proper promotion or transfer policy, moving employees around arbitrarily without considering professionalism or family circumstances. For example, women are transferred to unsafe locations without considering the demands of the job or travel requirements. The organization has no coherent culture, strategy, or framework, yet it continues to hire consultants to create fancy reports. They even hired a foreign communications director to project an image of being a high-level NGO, but in reality, none of the leadership has any real intellect, and the associate directors dictate the company based on their own rules, standards, and moods, making it feel like a privately-run entity. The worst part is that an employee attempted suicide, and another died by suicide, but the company suppressed the news and threatened employees not to speak about it, claiming it wasn’t related to the organization. However, the first employee attempted suicide after being repeatedly denied leave by someone leading operations in Uttar Pradesh, who runs the company like his personal property, constantly jeopardizing job security. This person also forced two women to quit—one who was two months pregnant and about to apply for maternity leave, and another who disagreed with his working style and unreasonable demands for working outside office hours. He even brought his wife into the organization. Another team lead in the government vertical operates through personal flattery of bureaucrats, forcing employees to perform clerical tasks in government offices. There is no strategy in the government vertical, just constant appeasement of bureaucrats. I urge everyone to consider multiple factors before joining this organization. The funders have no idea that the work being presented as the company’s own is actually the government's, and large amounts of money are being wasted....Read More

Work Details

Work days: Monday to Friday (Strict Timings)

Work related travel: This job involves Travel Within Country, Travel Within City.

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.

Likes

Dislikes

Work Details

Work days: Monday to Friday (Flexible Timings)

Work related travel: This job involves Travel Within Country.