From Internship to Business Partner - Business Partner JOW Employee Review

Really great idea for a product. Generous benefits/package. Cozy offices, remote-friendly.

I worked directly under the CEO for a year and it was, by far, the worst management experience I've had in the 15 years of my career. He gave contradictory orders, forgot what he had asked you to do, had an argument for any small concern you had, and turned it back around at you. I had conversations with the CEO about a promotion. After making some big changes in my personal life, it never came. I was told for days, then weeks, then months: “just wait. Keep doing what you’re doing, etc.” Weeks continued to go by and the CEO wasn’t meeting with me, wasn’t giving me feedback, and wasn’t even telling me what my goals were or what was expected of me. I just did the best I could, working without a signed contract, with no opportunity to negotiate or even approve my salary or package, in-waiting for this promotion that we had discussed months earlier. It’s ok, I can wait. I felt really grateful for the opportunity coming my way. Finally over a year later, a new role is given to me, but it’s not the role that we had discussed - at all. In fact, it was a position that I had never even done before. I let him know that this is a bit out of my scope, that I am happy to try it out in the meantime (especially if I am filling a needed-gap in the business), but that I am still very much interested in the role we had discussed. He said no problem, this is just the beginning, this will open the door, he taught everyone on the team everything they know, etc. etc. Don’t worry about it. We’ll work closely together. As for that other role, for now, he had decided that it was an unnecessary role and, in fact, no one on the team felt there was a need for this role at this time. But then… crickets. No touch bases, meetings, 1-on-1’s for weeks on-end, even though he continued to have weeklies and regular communication with other colleagues on the team. I’d ask for approval on projects/things to ship and I’d get no response, even after multiple well-timed attempts. After essentially no feedback (good or bad) for months, my annual review comes. It has now been 1 year and 5 months since we began discussions about the role change. He opened my review with a hurtful line, and I was then criticised for a half hour with little room to respond. It was an overnight transformation. I was told the team didn’t trust me, asked “if I even did anything”, was intentionally ignored in front of my peers and patronized. There wasn’t even "hello's" or "goodbyes" to me in the office. That wasn't even the worst part. Two weeks later, I was told that someone else was going to get the role that I just spent a year and a half working with the company over (even though I had just been told that role was unnecessary) and that I was being demoted 2 levels. So, I left. When I put in my notice, the CEO didn't say one word to me. My last day? Nothing. It's like I never even existed. Goals change based on the flavor of the week and aren’t communicated. The US team is constantly pushed around and then blamed for the repercussions of the company’s inability to effectively lead. Don't worry though. It’s just “the startup life” - and the employees they hire are too green to see through the guise.

The actual people that work here (not management) are great people.

Where to begin? Broken promises, hypocrisy, unstable leadership, no clarity, no roadmap, and IMMENSE pressure to go, go, go, do more always. Everyone is overworked but doesn't feel safe to share that, because if you admit you're struggling, your job is on the line. Leadership fires people with no notice every few months, and sweeps it under the rug without clarity, so everyone feels on edge all the time. The startup mentality is extremely toxic here, aside from the fact that the company has no real idea of its goals or direction, and everyone is just trying to keep up, running like a chicken with its head cut off. The startup mantra of "being scrappy" is their justification for never hiring any support and having people do the work of 2-3 jobs. They try to satisfy everyone with cute company activities to boost culture, but if you're a remote employee no effort is made to include you. The pressure is high, the expectations are higher, and the support is nonexistent. If you bring up issues hoping to have a conversation leading to improvement, you become a problem to be rid of. Oh, and forget about career advancement or asking for a pay raise. Those will never be on the table. I wouldn't touch this company with a ten foot pole. Go somewhere where employees are treated like humans and leadership gives a care. It's a shame, because really talented people work here, they're just not given the opportunity to really shine. The supportive, fun culture this company espouses is not the actual experience of working here, once you pull back the curtain.