How Cronyism Thrives at the IRC

(IRC Staff Experience)

I worked at IRC HQ [International Rescue Committee’s Headquarters] for three years (2017–2020) and a lot of effort was made to explain how promotions would work for junior staff. Then a re-org [re-organization] would happen that would lead to an automatic promotion that furthered cronyism instead of opening positions for multiple staff at a similar level to apply. This was most disappointing to see in the summer of 2020 after being told that DEI [Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion] discussions would be a slow process. This had no impact on a quick re-org [re-organization] that emphasized keeping leadership and supervisory positions in primarily white colleagues and also included a non-competitive promotion instead of opening the position for internal competition.