It is my impression that I was never valued as a coworker/teammate, but as the "token female" working in a frat house environment.
There were several instances in which women were spoken to/about in a demeaning manner, to the point where I had to excuse myself from the situation to gather my thoughts. I pride myself on being "thick skinned" and have never experienced sexism prior to working for this company.
I understood that I would be working in a commercial and male dominated industry, but was dismayed in the complete lack of professionalism and common courtesy displayed by superiors and coworkers alike. I found myself embarrassed to act in my typical feminine way as apparently it gave off the impression of "playing dumb" in the always kind words of a male coworker. This coworker refused to learn the names of customer service reps (with whom we talked to on a daily, if not hourly) basis, belittled other departments while blatantly ignoring work responsibilities, but received constant praise from superiors for this behavior.
I almost quit my first MONTH working for the company after several sexist and downright inappropriate (being disgustingly sexual) comments were made about both my appearance and my ability to do my job during a sales conference from superiors I was meeting for the first time. The comments made to me were so demeaning that I left the room and went into the nearby restroom with tears in my eyes.
During my final few months with the company, I found my mental health rapidly decreasing to the point where my friends and family suggested I needed to find another place to work. I brushed this suggestion off, as I was convinced I was just "new and not used to my job yet." However after being constantly bullied/publicly humiliated by a certain male coworker and a few female superiors, I began taking my lunches alone to apply for new jobs. Even the thought of working here gives me anxiety.
Downtown, employees start drinking early in the afternoon. No surprise there, as they're severely underpaid and aren't provided with clear directives or goals anyways. Those who choose not to partake are shamed and not seen as part of an exclusive clique. In the corporate office, happy hours are few and far between.
No communication between teams. Higher-ups make decisions with no consideration of how their changes will affect other departments.
Poorly executed/no training. New employees are given incomplete or non-existent training material with no direction and somehow expected to know product through and through within a few weeks with no prior experience in the field.
There are no bonuses with the company, and promotions are rare and seemingly based on politics/tenure alone.
I wish I was an older male with years of experience in a commercial industry and a severe superiority complex, else I would have enjoyed my time here! Sadly, I am not... so I have to give CGI one star.
