Verge, a human-resources and recruiting agency, has launched a new membership program offering museums and art organizations a proprietary employee survey called the Workplace Advancement Instrument (WAI). The survey assesses organizational health across areas like communication, compensation, retention, and psychological safety. Members receive results, access to workshops, and an annual benchmarking report, with early adopters including the Dia Art Foundation, Corita Art Center, Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, and Denniston Hill. The program costs $5,000 per year and grew out of Verge's recruitment work, which found that many arts workers of color were leaving jobs due to unsupportive workplace cultures.
This initiative matters because museums and galleries face external pressures such as government funding cuts and disengagement from younger collectors, but Verge argues that internal organizational health is a critical first step toward long-term sustainability. A 2023 survey by Museums Moving Forward found that two-thirds of US museum workers are considering leaving their jobs due to poor pay and burnout, with those facing discrimination most likely to exit. By providing tools for self-assessment and improvement, Verge's program aims to help institutions retain next-generation talent and build healthier, more equitable workplaces in the visual arts sector.