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We’re sorry to hear that your experience at Kazoo + WorkTango wasn’t great - we value your feedback, and appreciate that you still recommend us as a workplace.
Thank you for highlighting what makes Kazoo great - our people. As you note, they are wonderful, and we strive to create an environment where people are challenged, developed and supported along the way. Our recent employee survey noted that 95% of employees understand and are aligned with our company goals which is an incredible statistic, no matter the company.
Because I have the privilege of overseeing the IM team, I am very aware of the challenges that you and your colleagues faced in Q2. Please know that the executive team did hear your concerns - and we did act upon them. When we realized that some newly-released product functionality required further testing, our new CPO and CTO pivoted significant development efforts to address the concerns. We made incredible strides across the quarter as evidenced by our product and engineering quality metrics. The ELT and our product team leaned into customer calls to better understand concerns and make key changes. Employees will hear more about the changes we’re making in upcoming All Hands meetings.
Our Support team has been stretched thin, and we’re taking action to address this, as well. Our new Senior Director of Services is leaning in to drive significant improvements, and our multi-step plan on how we are addressing this was shared two weeks ago with employees - including bringing on partner resources to help address high-volume support inquiries
As it relates to growth opportunities at Kazoo + WorkTango, our data shows that we promote and advance employees at rates higher than other companies. On the IM team specifically this year, we promoted 44% of the team, while 33% moved to new roles in other parts of the company. More broadly, in 2022, Kazoo + WorkTango advanced 24% of our eligible employees into new roles, including 20% of managers being promoted from within the company. This is a key part of our strategy to make the employee experience at Kazoo + WorkTango great by providing exceptional professional development opportunities to those who demonstrate potential and commitment to our mission.
Our new HR programs leader has done incredible work with our new Job Competencies matrix to ensure our colleagues know the skills required for success in both current and future roles. And while everyone wants more compensation (we’re human at the end of the day), our benchmarks demonstrate that we are on par with other organizations of our size, and our average merit increase in 2022 was significantly higher than industry averages.
Our HR team is led and staffed by committed, talented professionals who focus on maximizing our employees’ experiences every day. Our work on our company values and culture, and specifically DEI, requires thoughtful, intentional work as we reinforce an environment where all can bring their best selves to work, diverse voices are heard, and team members are valued for their contributionsIt’s disappointing that you left prior to seeing the results from our recent DEI survey and revised strategy. It is being shared next week.
No high-growth organization is perfect, and it is unrealistic to expect that every employee will agree with or fully understand every decision. What is important – and where the executive and management teams are very focused – is creating a high-performing, inclusive organization based upon mutual respect of others. Because, when we can bring our authentic selves to work, we do incredible work together.
-Monique McDonough (COO)
