- Breathtaking lack of accountability from managers, leading to a culture of unchecked behaviour. This is evident through the level of team morale, which is filled with an overall feeling of pessimism.
- Gaslighting tactics used by manager to scapegoat responsibilities and shift blame for their own lack of due diligence onto others.
- Feedback mechanisms for managers are severely limited, relying solely on infrequent company-wide surveys.
- Quite frequent dissonance between senior leadership on project direction or processes, causing confusion and frustration among teams.
- Way too many unfocused meetings used to provide updates without an agenda, note-taking or clear action plan.
- Management is not trustworthy and operate behind a facade of "transparency".
- Lacking a supportive culture; unhappy employees who don’t feel heard or valued. No one considered or mentored to the next level in years.
- Designers are seen as a resource to execute rather than a strategic partner in product development.
- Perhaps most concerning, this work environment has had a significant negative impact on my mental well-being, which is particularly ironic given the nature of StepStone as a recruitment firm supposedly knowledgeable about employee satisfaction.
Overall, my experience at this company has been deeply disappointing. Because of the toxic management culture, lack of growth opportunities, and disregard for employee well-being I can't really recommend it as a great place to work.