Run in the opposite direction. - Anonymous employee Carnegie Dartlet Employee Review

1.0
4 Aug 2025
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Unlimited PTO but we get scolded if we take too much.

Cons

Where do I even start? All of the recent 1- and 2-star reviews are 100% spot on. This place is so chaotic and dysfunctional that it truly boggles the mind. Extremely top-heavy org structure with incompetent, inexperienced, and cliquey upper management. A culture of favoritism where some people get promoted repeatedly and others languish as perpetual individual contributors. Little to no diversity org-wide but especially in leadership positions — visit our website to see for yourself. Constant acquisitions without any meaningful effort to integrate the new companies into our structure and workflow. Incessant reorgs and restructures that throw our teams into tailspins, especially in client management. The amount of change is dizzying and exhausting and we are gaslit or accused of not being team players when we rightly complain. To top all of this off, we are paid well below market rate and everyone knows it but the company doesn’t seem to have any intention of changing it. Raises are laughable and are effectively reductions in the context of inflation. To boot, our workloads are absolutely outrageous. We are working far beyond our contracted hours and keep sounding the burnout alarm but it falls on deaf ears. There is 0 transparency with resourcing and we all seem to continue accumulating accounts with no end in sight. Lastly, there have been several rounds of layoffs over the past year, each of which has been handled extremely callously. The lack of dignity and respect shown to us is so shameful. Every person I have spoken to here is struggling in one way or another. People regularly set their Slack statuses to “drowning” or “overwhelmed” or “SOS” and management doesn’t blink an eye. Please don’t bother applying here. I have no faith that our leadership will ever accept responsibility for the mess they’ve created. Whatever pads the pockets of our private equity investors, I guess.

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Carnegie Dartlet Response
11mo
Thank you for your candid feedback. We take all employee reviews seriously, and we are concerned to hear that you and your colleagues are having such a difficult experience. We're sorry to hear that you feel unheard and unsupported. Your detailed comments highlight some serious issues, and we want you to know that we are taking them to heart. Acquisitions and reorganizations can be disruptive. Our intention is to grow and strengthen the company. Carnegie is actively working to improve how we integrate new teams and manage change to minimize the impact on our employees. The issues you raised about management, compensation, workload, and the handling of layoffs are particularly troubling. We are committed to fostering a culture of transparency, fairness, and respect. We are currently reviewing training programs and compensation structure to ensure they are competitive and equitable. The "People First" mantra is one we stand by. Carnegie is committed to making meaningful improvements. We value every one of our employees and are dedicated to creating a supportive and sustainable work environment for all. Please reach out to hr@carnegiehighered.com with any additional comments.

Explore other reviews about Carnegie Dartlet

5.0
12 Feb 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The people are truly kind, collaborative, and mission driven. Everyone genuinely cares about supporting higher education and helping clients succeed, and that shows up in how teams work together day to day. There are a lot of smart people here, and the culture is collaborative rather than competitive. It feels like everyone wants each other to win. There are strong opportunities to work cross functionally, learn new skills, and try new ideas. There is also real room to fail, test new approaches, and learn without fear.

Cons

The pace is very fast. The work is good and meaningful, but it can feel intense at times. I also wish compensation were higher, especially given the speed and level of responsibility.

2
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Carnegie Dartlet Response
4w
Thank you for taking the time to share such positive feedback! It is incredibly rewarding to hear that our mission to support higher education resonates so strongly with your day-to-day work. We are very proud of our collaborative team, and knowing that you feel encouraged to cross-train, innovate, and try new approaches without fear of failure is the best compliment we could ask for. We hear your feedback regarding the fast-paced intensity of the work and compensation. We know how hard our teams work, and we are continually looking at ways to ensure our salaries remain competitive and that our workloads remain manageable during busy seasons. If you ever have specific ideas on how we can improve the day-to-day pace for your team, please feel free to share them with us at hr@carnegiehighered.com.
1.0
23 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The client portfolio is genuinely interesting, and the peer-level team is incredibly talented, collaborative, and supportive. There are great people working here at the execution level, and you will build strong professional relationships.

Cons

Retention and management are major issues. Turnover is incredibly high, particularly within the first 90 days for new strategists. The company conducts surveys regarding capacity, but internal data is ignored—workloads routinely exceed promised limits (e.g., managing 12 clients when internal models cap roles at 8). Furthermore, the management style leans heavily toward negative critique rather than constructive coaching, creating a lack of psychological safety. Internal mobility is also poorly handled. Toxic culture.

10
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