Meaningful Mission, Increasingly Rigid Workplace - Anonymous employee PetSmart Employee Review

The mission is meaningful, but the employee experience has changed significantly over the past few years. Leadership accountability is one-sided. Employees receive annual performance reviews from their managers, but there is no meaningful process for employees to provide feedback on their direct managers. While there is an annual anonymous engagement survey, it is directed at senior leadership overall rather than individual managers. If you have concerns about your manager, there is effectively no formal channel to address them. The company offers only six paid holidays, which feels below average for a corporate office environment. Workplace flexibility is extremely limited. The current return-to-office policy requires employees to work onsite four days per week. Even if you take PTO during the week, you are still expected to be onsite for the remaining four workdays. Working remotely because you're not feeling well is generally not permitted. Instead, employees are expected to use sick leave or PTO. The company places a strong emphasis on physical presence rather than outcomes. Employees are expected to complete 32 onsite hours each week, with very limited flexibility. Leaving early for personal or family responsibilities generally means making up those hours by spending additional time in the office on another day, rather than working remotely or adjusting your schedule. Holiday scheduling is unusually rigid. Even if you have enough PTO available, employees are generally not allowed to take both Christmas and New Year's off. Teams are expected to ensure office coverage, so employees must choose one holiday period or the other regardless of available PTO. Office amenities are limited. The company provides free coffee and water, but nearly everything else is employee-paid. The onsite gym requires a membership fee, and food, snacks, and beverages in the cafeteria must all be purchased. A simple salad can easily cost $10-15 or more. Since the leadership transition, the company has adopted a much more traditional, top-down management style. There has been a heavy focus on cost reduction and operational efficiency, but it has also coincided with noticeably higher turnover and lower employee morale. Priorities and organizational goals seem to change frequently, making it difficult for teams to maintain long-term focus. The workplace generally consists of kind and professional people, but the culture can feel political. Employees often appear supportive in meetings, yet feedback is sometimes shared indirectly rather than openly. Mistakes can follow employees for a long time, creating an environment where people become increasingly risk-averse and less willing to take initiative. Compared with previous years, the workplace also feels less diverse and less inclusive. Employee engagement activities have become less frequent, and the overall atmosphere feels less vibrant than it once was. The organization feels considerably more traditional than it did under previous leadership.