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

5.0

Jul 20, 2014

Former Intern

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

They treat their interns extremely well, setting up a speaker series, buying interns food, etc. I didn't realize how benevolent they were being until I started interning at another place this summer. It was an interesting learning experience, especially being at an organization such as HRW which takes such strong stands.

Cons

Sometimes the work can get a bit repetitive, but that's really a minor complaint. I would certainly want to work here after college!

4.0

Mar 5, 2014

Tons of fun, no room for career growth

Coordinator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Exposure to fascinating issues and people. If a coordinator or associate, your superiors will expect you to move on in two years and will do everything to help you get to your next job goal. Four weeks' paid vacation. Your colleagues become your best friends. The associates and coordinators spoke 90 languages between them all (and we were under 30).

Cons

Terrible pay and terrible management. Big job dissatisfaction amongst coordinators and associates. Everyone is overqualified and underpaid and stuck doing terrible admin work, with exciting projects given in tiny doses to keep everyone from going on strike. The union was always involved in some fight or another about getting folks overtime pay.

5.0

Feb 27, 2014

Review kf

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Work environment, friendly, casual

Cons

Can't think of any

Viewing 169 - 171 of 179 Reviews