In my experience, several factors hindered my ability to perform effectively in my role here and decreased my respect and appreciation for this company.
**HR Management**
The HR department management used virtual and in person meetings as opportunities to vent about personal life, often causing scheduled meetings to run overtime. For example, management encouraged and participated in oversharing personal details and drinking alcohol during one of the weekly HR meetings, named “Rose Friday.” Before the first mass layoff and cut raises, management gave a ~20% under the table raise to select employees. Additionally, when I raised concerns about the company's financial state or business direction, management responded condescendingly, suggesting that I lacked understanding of how the industry operated. The company policy against departmental relationships is strongly enforced by HR upon other departments, however, management supported a relationship within the HR department for years.
**Departmental Relationship**
The ongoing relationship between direct management and a coworker created a significant conflict of interest. This coworker received lower workload and higher pay for the position they held. They were given an extra raise before their first year, which deviated from standard protocol. During the Annual Company Core Value Awards, this coworker was a nominee and abused the HR database to access confidential votes regarding their election status. Their reason for doing so was to see the names of people who voted for them. There were several instances of misconduct related to this coworker; management was a witness to most of them. All formal complaints that I filed in regards to these incidents were swept under the rug.
Direct management promised me several training opportunities, but trained their partner instead. Our daily check-ins were regularly used for inquiries about my trips during PTO, weekend plans, and other activities outside of work. When they presented my data analysis report to upper management, they took credit for all of it.
**General HR Problems**
All surveys and polls were not anonymous, despite being advertised as such. The HR department would use meetings to investigate and identify individuals who provided “undesirable” feedback. This includes launching investigations to determine who has left negative Glassdoor reviews and going the extra mile to get them taken down. The feedback from exit interviews and 30/90 day check-ins was consistently ignored and not acted upon. HR uses significant time and resources to gather employee feedback that goes completely unheard.
After the company’s first mass layoff, HR’s solution was to promote a virtual scavenger hunt and encourage social clubs. HR received unanimous feedback that Viva Engage clubs were not what employees needed during times of low job security, yet HR continued to push for it. As soon as the first mass layoff finished, direct management was sending memes through Microsoft Teams.
**General Company Problems**
Salary increases across all departments were random and often did not align with employee performance, resulting in discrepancies of 10-15%. Decisions about raises are typically made by individuals from outside the relevant departments. Interns are usually related to someone within the company while upper management is comprised of the executives' friends. Some management positions were created solely to accommodate personal connections. Mass layoffs were conducted unilaterally by the executives, with no input from department managers, leaving most employees uninformed and in the dark. The company cut the most recent scheduled raises, but continued to fund food banquets and office remodeling in the San Diego location.
