Pros
The people were genuinely one of the best parts of my experience. I worked with so many wonderful people and, especially in the beginning, truly felt like I was part of something great.
As a remote employee, I really appreciated the opportunities to connect in person. I got to experience California for the first time and participate in team-building activities that made me feel included and connected to the company in a way that can sometimes be difficult when working remotely.
Throughout my time there, I also received a lot of positive feedback from leaders. I was consistently thanked for getting things done quickly, delivering what teams needed and exceeding expectations. There were many moments when I felt genuinely valued and appreciated for the work I was doing.
There really are some incredible people at this company, and I made connections and had experiences that I’ll always be grateful for.
Cons
Unfortunately, the employee experience did not match the culture that was presented to me.
I consistently received positive feedback from leaders, was thanked for quick turnaround times and was told that I exceeded expectations. I was therefore surprised to later learn that a very different perception of my work was apparently being discussed elsewhere. When I raised concerns and pointed to the systems that documented my projects, deadlines and SLAs, I did not feel that information was meaningfully considered. At one point, I was told by HR that people may tell you one thing while actually meaning another. That made it extremely difficult to trust the feedback I received going forward.
There was also a significant lack of structure around Learning & Development. I was hired to support the organization, yet my reporting structure changed repeatedly within approximately eight months. I reported through multiple areas of the business and eventually had no direct manager. Departments frequently operated in silos, and training initiatives could occur without L&D involvement despite the company having hired someone specifically to lead that work.
The organization also did not provide some of the infrastructure necessary to build the type of L&D function I believed I had been hired to create. Without appropriate learning technology, consistent stakeholder participation, clear executive ownership or the ability to properly evaluate knowledge gaps, the role often became more about producing materials than practicing meaningful Learning & Development.
Direction could also be inconsistent. There were situations where I followed the direction I was given and later found myself questioned about the outcome. I also received conflicting explanations from different leaders regarding decisions that directly affected my role. After enough of these experiences, it became difficult to determine whose direction took priority or what success was actually supposed to look like.
What began as one of the most promising opportunities of my career ultimately became one of the most professionally disappointing. I cared deeply about the company, the people and the work, which made the experience harder. My position was ultimately eliminated, but by that point I had learned an important lesson: positive feedback means very little in an environment where communication, accountability and expectations are not equally transparent behind closed doors.
