It is really disheartening to read back through this review and feel almost the exact opposite of what I felt then. Reviewing the Glassdoor trends over the last six months, it does not shock me to see the consistent decline, but it does break my heart. Genuinely.
Over the course of the last year, I've seen the culture deteriorate, I've see incredible leaders get hired and immediately sidelined, and I've seen a tremendous lack of the value I once believed SCAN held for it's employees. Our CEO sent an email last week about broken windows, and I was moved to respond, but felt it was in my best interest to find a way to do so anonymously. So this is my alternative.
The email spoke of culture being an accumulation of tolerated behaviors. I want to make it clear that what follows are simply my observations/experiences of many tolerated behaviors that I feel contribute to this shift.
In my experience, we've tolerated a sincere lack of empathy from leaders who set the tone from the top. We've seen executive leaders change, and with it, an influx of their former teams and colleagues being installed, not because they are the right fit for the culture SCAN once held, but because it's easy. Because it means their agenda gets executed despite what it does to the culture and morale. I've seen a place where, even with my strong critiques of what were some serious areas of opportunity, I truly felt as though we were valued as employees become a transactional laundry list of initiatives that have not been thought through with the kind of care and forethought I'd once believed things like that would be. I am not opposed to transformation or change. In fact, I've been called a champion of them and recognized for my work and courageous challenge in favor of both. But the impact of what we are seeing today despite the intent is perceived by many as careless. I've seen burnout run rampant and be dismissed as people simply not being accountable, I've seen great ideas co-opted and then turned into something completely misinterpreted and thusly a net negative impact to the greater team. I've seen decision-making power and influence handed to people outside of our department instead of the very people our leaders have claimed to value. Leaders spend meeting after meeting pointing to their teams as the root of the service and culture issues we face rather than acknowledging that teams are the very reflection of the type of leadership exhibited.
These are the broken windows that I see daily in a workplace I once believed I'd spend the rest of my career. I've not once considered departing SCAN in my time here. Until recently. And that is heartbreaking and disappointing. I’ve referred friends and family members often because of how much I believed in SCAN and it’s mission. To come to a point where I regret those decisions is a true let down.
I do hope that the culture is salvageable whether I continue forward with SCAN or not, and that leaders at all levels look to these reviews and the state of our engagement, survey responses, etc. and really dig deep internally first before ever trying to address what are only the symptoms of how SCAN is being led.
