Dysfunctional Environment with Poor Communication - Recensione dipendente - Technical Writer presso Eclipse Foundation

My experience with this organization was marked by a constant sense of instability and frustration. It often felt like institutional gaslighting. The interview process alone took over six months, involving 3-4 rounds of interviews, writing samples, and three references, with weeks of silence in between. Given that the job primarily involved writing promotional content, such an extensive process seemed unnecessary and excessive. During the hiring phase and after starting, I was informed by three different managers, including the director, that I could work from anywhere in the world. However, when I requested to adjust my contract to reflect my country of citizenship (as I was essentially without a permanent home in Germany), my job security was threatened and I was told that I would be terminated if not based in Germany. The role itself was a poorly defined mix of tasks with significant role confusion. Even minor efforts, such as correcting spelling and grammar errors on the project website, encountered resistance and gatekeeping. It became evident that the assigned project group ("software defined vehicle") was not ready for a full time technical writer. As a solution, I was told we could transition to an hourly contractor role, but this was also not honored. Summary: While the people were generally nice and there was no overt malicious intent, there was dysfunction and poor internal communication. If you decide to join, I recommend documenting all communications to protect your career and mental health and to ensure you have legal recourse if necessary.