When I first started working at Dolby, I was really proud to tell people that I worked here. The bulk of my discussions and interactions with my colleagues were positive ones.
Today, on the other hand, I’m somewhat ashamed of our company and the way that we're acting toward one and another - along with the way that we behave within the larger community.
Our Impact on SF:
Look for instance at the three blocks that we cover in San Francisco. The hill up to our Potrero parking lot is covered with garbage, shopping carts and homeless encampments. And as far as I can tell, we’ve done nothing to alleviate the suffering for the homeless in this area much less clear the garbage or even put in a security system for our employees trying to get to their cars after dark.
Walking in the other direction to our building at Brannan, one has to walk through shopping carts, garbage and worse. I know plenty of businesses all over San Francisco who take responsibility for the entire area around their business but we just don’t bother – so our workers and their visitors have to walk through this over and over. And we do nothing to improve the neighborhood for other San Franciscans.
Now, we have purchased a building on Market Street – what are we planning to do to truly benefit that area when we can’t be bothered to clean up the trash within fifty yards of our current properties?
Employee Well Being:
At this point in time, my colleagues and a multitude of workers are simply overworked. I watch as the number of acceptable working hours raises month after month – and as my co-workers become used to 10 and 12 work days. There is no sense that what we do is a “marathon” or that people’s lives outside of work truly matter. Co-workers snap at one another, and the number of times that I’ve heard the words “thank you” has diminished extraordinarily in the last 6 months especially.
Tearing Down our Workforce:
I haven’t experienced as much one-upsmanship since my Greek days at university. Someone is “all good” because they do one big deal – but they’re forgotten or even unceremoniously fired as soon as the next person comes in. I’ve watched wonderful employees be stamped upon as the next person and next ideas walk in the door.
We have the typical gossip – it’s human nature to dwell on the random extramarital affair or drunken gaff at a work function. But the majority of the gossip is about someone’s perceived incompetence – executives (young to be sure) harpooned for being awkward public speakers; outright criticism of a current or former employee in large meetings; one person throwing another under the bus in order to protect themselves during what feels like a really tenuous time (following up on perhaps the 4th or 4 re-orgs in so many years).
In this most recent round, many employees have been laid off or fired as we bring in “fresh” senior executives and consultants. Does this happen in a lot of companies? Of course. But I cannot imagine why we at Dolby are behaving this way. And I also can’t imagine that Ray Dolby or his son would be pleased to fully understand what we’re doing to people’s lives here.
