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

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

3.0

Jan 8, 2021

Fighting for and defending human rights.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Advocating human rights and civil liberty.

Cons

Inhumane world filled with selfishly greedy beings.

3.0

Dec 2, 2020

Unbelievably Smart & Mission-Driven Org

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Sophisticated understanding of the work, dedicated and passionate staff, laser focused on impact and systemic change.

Cons

Legacy organization really struggling to find future relevance and adapt internal culture and management to changing times - but trying.

5.0

Nov 30, 2020

Great place to work overall, management is a mixed bag

Multimedia producer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great colleagues, interesting and fulfilling work, good benefits.

Cons

As an organization with a high standard for itself that was rapidly growing, managers struggled to accommodate the growing complexity of the operation and staff needs. The entire media division was in upheaval while I was there, and managers refused to address complaints until they reached a boiling point and many staff left.

Viewing 163 - 165 of 179 Reviews