The most toxic environment I have ever been in - Managing Editor Elastic Employee Review

My review reflects my experience during my five months at Elastic. Despite the excellent benefits and salary, I was so unhappy and demoralized that I was actively sending out resumes by my sixth week on the job. Why would anyone leave a job with a great salary, free healthcare, and two Fridays off every month? Well, it turns out that showing up for work in the Games of Thrones universe is pretty stressful. From my vantage point on a very small team within the marketing/communications org, I was frequently astonished at the political maneuvering, backstabbing, and general nastiness my direct manager displayed. Within my first few weeks on the job, my boss very casually changed my entire career trajectory by refusing to let me work on the main project I was hired to do. I was barred from having any participation in that effort after I questioned her accelerated delivery timetable (which, ultimately, wasn’t met anyway). In addition to that, she micromanaged me and my smart, competent teammates to such an extent that we might as well have been college interns. At least two other coworkers admitted to me that she’d made them cry. She also constantly badmouthed other teams, questioned their competence, and, in at least one case, admitted to setting unrealistic deadlines so they would fail. I had several direct and extremely uncomfortable conversations with my manager about my shifting job duties. At one point she asked me to “make a slide” telling her what I thought my responsibilities should be. I did so. She canceled our first scheduled meeting to discuss it. I brought it up at my next 1-1, but she said she wanted to talk about an ongoing project first and then ran out the clock on that meeting. She never brought it up again and neither did I. Her clear lack of interest was all the conversation I cared to have. Was this a “one bad apple” scenario? I spent months trying to figure that out. Ultimately, though, I’m left with the belief that the leadership in this section of the company has (maybe accidentally) created a culture that enables and rewards toxic management practices rather than performance. When people are lauded for impressing upper management with pretty decks rather than reporting on actual numbers, you can bet that’s where they’re going to spend their time. With no KPIs (yeah, you heard that right), it’s all too easy to duck accountability and throw another team under the bus when a senior exec asks a hard question. Every day at this job was so stressful that my doctor suggested I go on anti-anxiety medication. I’ve never been treated for anxiety in my life. I also ended up getting shingles, which was most likely brought on by stress. I felt I had no option but to leave. I would’ve been happy to do so quietly if it weren’t for the impact I saw this person’s behavior having on my coworkers and other teams. I raised the issue to HR. The rep I spoke to was kind and empathetic and seemed to take my concerns seriously. I do hope that the company follows up and takes steps to remedy this situation before other folks are negatively impacted. If you’re going to apply here, do yourself a favor and read through the many reviews that talk about the toxic culture. I read a few before I started but rationalized any negativity as part of the normal growing pains of a company that’s scaling quickly. I regret that. However, I do believe there are many wonderful people at Elastic and I think my experience may have been different if I’d been on another team. I also strongly recommend that you ask about the turnover on the team you’re applying for. Ask what happened to the person who was there before you and how long they were there. (Incidentally, I was under the impression that my position was a net-new one. I didn’t learn until I started that I had a short-lived predecessor.) I would also ask to speak to peer-level coworkers on the team you’ll be working on. While people are unlikely to be directly negative, it’s worth listening for careful answers that could indicate deeper issues.