Does Human Rights Watch pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Human Rights Watch employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.5 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Human Rights Watch. This rating has decreased by 5% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Human Rights Watch?

62% of Human Rights Watch employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Human Rights Watch 3.1 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.3 for culture and values and 2.7 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Human Rights Watch?

Intern (38) , Associate (23) , Researcher (14) , Coordinator (12) , Internship (7) , Senior Researcher (7) , Manager (5) , Associate Director (4) , Development and Outreach (4) , Managing Director (4) , Research Assistant (4) , Summer Intern (4) , Deputy Director (3) , Development Intern (3) , Director (3)

What are the pros of working at Human Rights Watch according to real employee reviews?

"Great colleagues" ((in 22 reviews)); "Great people to work with!" ((in 19 reviews)); "The benefits are good" ((in 15 reviews)); "Loved working there and learned a lot" ((in 8 reviews)); "Work environment is positive and supportive." ((in 7 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Human Rights Watch according to real employee reviews?

"It is an unpaid internship and living in New York City is very expensive so you have to find means to support yourself" ((in 16 reviews)); "bad management" ((in 8 reviews)); "Monotonous work, few opportunities for engagement with the advocacy work or research that HRW does" ((in 7 reviews)); "There is little substantive work and support staff are made to feel guilty if they need to take overtime." ((in 6 reviews)); "Excessive workloads, poor managers and chaotic culture" ((in 5 reviews))

What are employees saying about Human Rights Watch layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Human Rights Watch layoffs and their outlook for job security at Human Rights Watch in 2026.

Human Rights Watch reviews

3.2

62% would recommend to a friend

(179 total reviews)

Kenneth Roth

57% approve of CEO

33% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (179 reviews)

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Human Rights Watch has an employee rating of 3.2 out of 5 stars, based on 179 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Human Rights Watch employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the ONG y Organizaciones sin fines de lucro industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

179 reviews

2.0

Jan 30, 2023

Toxic

Associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Prestigious and rigorous organization. Smart and knowledgeable colleagues.

Cons

Lots of lip service on DEI but little real progress. A shocking gap between “local” and US/exec salaries; a new compensation structure is worsening this gap. “Gotcha” culture of competition and bullying; toxic environment. Senior managers tolerate and engage in abusive behavior. New members have joined the senior management team in recent years and promised reform, but the changes so far have not been positive ones, especially in terms of DEI, compensation, and workplace culture.

3.0

Apr 24, 2019

Lots of changes needed

Associate director

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great mission, smart people, good conditions, incredible impact, lots of innovative thinking

Cons

Bad management, toxic culture, lack of trust, intense competition for prestige and praise, too many Type A personalities, too little emotional intelligence

4.0

Jul 16, 2015

4 Month Internship

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

It was a very encouraging environment; what I didn't know, I was taught or trained in (such as HTML/CSS). The associate I was working for encouraged me to draft statements and such. Other interns were super friendly and team-oriented. There were speakers for interns and I was not handling mail and coffee.

Cons

Another intern in the Development Division was overworked, often worked through lunch for an unpaid internship. This was my first internship, so I was unclear as to the leeway I had in doing certain things, such as contacting government officials to get contact information of certain people for an upcoming report. I like clear, professional lines in the sand between me and my supervisor, especially starting out. My associate and her supervisors were really nice, but I would get mixed signals when we were joking around as if not at work and then suddenly we're back in office mode and I'm being asked for this and that. Was my associate a friend or my superior coworker?

Viewing 13 - 15 of 179 Reviews