Even the best technology does not substitute for genuine people interaction
Pros
I’ll give ‘em this – they have the technology thing down. One of the best experiences I have ever had as a new hire. Unfortunately, this was only one of a few positives I have to say. With what I had heard about the company and the promise it offered, I had hoped my experience would have been longer term. Instead, I departed from the organization (and no, I was not fired) only having added to my list of the things NOT to do as a colleague and or manager. I give credit where credit is due and to round off my list of positives: the pay was excellent, and they said the right things from the onset. If you experienced a first day only, you would have been impressed. Where other organizations haven’t a clue as to how to get their new employees on-boarded this company has it down. I quickly became aware of the fact that the company wants to be diverse, inclusive and have everyone bring their “authentic” self to work. They also are super proud of their product, and their customers, and all of the employees that make the “magic” happen. But it is quickly apparent that their ability to execute on anything remotely close to what they describe as a purpose driven culture leaves much to be desired.
Cons
On the surface this is “the place to work” but when you get to the core it is far from magical. Leaders act as though they walk on water. Team members are anything but welcoming. Bringing your authentic self really translates into you have liberty to do anything you want with little or no ramifications. I personally had to find my own way. No one wants to do anything that isn’t in their own personal interest and when you step up and be “that person” you are instantly chastised- something that no one else initially wanted to do becomes a free for all for others to criticize. As a matter of fact, it seems like everyone avoids getting work done just based on the sole reason that every non-mission critical task gets opened up to vetting beyond nauseum. You could have someone from a completely different business function telling you how to do something that you have done your entire career, but no one has your back to end the nonsense. You are expected to ride out the politics without a clear path to success – in anything. To say that leadership is innate may be true and if so, they are not finding leaders with this innate capability. In my experience here leaders/managers live by a “do as I say, not as I do” motto. I am in the mid to late stages of my career and have held many leadership positions, and I am blown away at how uninspired the leaders at this company make me feel. I was in a meeting one time with a leader showcasing some up & coming bells and whistles that were to be rolled out. I asked the question how did they plan to inform colleagues about this? His response: This is a self-service culture. That’s the beauty of what we implement, it needs little or no introduction. And I’ll give him this… there isn’t anything that is full service at this organization especially in the leadership department. Leaders manage to computer generated “nudges” and have little or no interest in what motivates their team members. For a company that is in touch with the uniqueness of their workforce they should be intimately aware that everyone is wired differently and thus a little effort to get to know their staff would go a long way. No one gave a lick about me as a person. So believe it or not I’ll end this- here. If you want a job where you have almost every freedom you could possibly think of and decent pay- I would say hop on board. If you want a career experience that is going to make you feel a sense of accomplishment and feel respected for what you bring to the table, RUN AWAY as fast as you can.