You’re better off unemployed. - Director of Communications NICABM Employee Review

I worked at NICABM for nearly 3 years, and ultimately chose to leave because I could no longer tolerate the disrespect and mistreatment. The President and Founder of the organization is so comparable to Miranda Priestly from the Devil Wears Prada that it’s almost laughable (though quite honestly you’d be better off with Miranda). Right off the bat, a red flag is that salaried employee is expected to work 8:30-6 (with a 30 minute break for lunch), yet the President herself won’t show up until the afternoon — sometimes 4pm or later. What makes this worse is that she is an aggressive micromanager, and her lack of presence in the office means her staff cannot get feedback on their time-sensitive work until late in the afternoon, which is half the reason you’ll often see employees staying far past 6, perhaps until 7 or 8, or oftentimes even later. (I had many nights where I worked until 10pm — or even 1am — and the CEO’s response to my concern about it was “good for you, that shows me how much you care.”) Beyond it’s effect on your ability to have a life outside of work, this job also affects your mental health and self esteem. And that is absolutely humiliating for a company that prides themselves on providing quality trainings to mental health professionals. The President belittles and shames her employees on a daily basis, often in front of other staff. When she started to wonder why employees were becoming unhappy earlier this year, I gathered the courage to tell her the majority of the staff felt disrespected. She refused to hear the statement and instead insisted that because she pays employees well, they should feel respected. So the bottom line is, yes, she will give you a good salary, but only so she can treat you however she wants. I brought this up again with her in my exit interview, and unfortunately her opinion has remained the same — this woman has has a PhD in Psychology, and yet cannot bring herself to face the truth that she is detrimental to the mental wellbeing of her employees. Quite frankly, it’s embarrassing. By far, the worst thing that happened to me at NICABM was having my salary docked by $10,000 in direct response to a doctor’s note stating I needed to work a 40 hour workweek. This note was written for me by a neurologist following a seizure I had in the middle of the office, which was found to be caused by intense stress and sleep deprived from the workload and hours I had been working. After all of the disrespect I had tolerated up until that point, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I’m happy to say that in just a month and a half, I was incredibly fortunate to have found a new job with a company that appreciates their employee’s efforts and respects their lives outside of the office. Two things I never would see at NICABM. All in all, it baffles me that the President can be so esteemed by her colleagues and followers. I only wish they knew the reality of how she behaves and treats people behind closed doors. I would not wish this job upon anyone. The company is currently losing their employees at the fastest rate I had seen in my time working there. It is a small company to begin with, and this loss is going to be huge and largely felt. That means anyone who enters the company at this point will be harshly abused and overworked from the very start — which is why I would urge you to steer clear of any opportunities here. I believe the management has permanently tainted the company, and I honesty feel sorry for any employee who is still there and even more sorry for any job candidate considering a job with NICABM. To all applicants: You deserve to be treated better than you will ever be treated here. No matter how badly you need a job, don’t let yourself come to this. You’re better off unemployed.