Pros
2015-2019 - This company was simply amazing to work for during this time. The leadership team had a clear vision of the future. Everyone within the organization could tell you what our mission was and how we were going to accomplish that mission. We all understood our role in improving care delivery for our client partners, our region and the country. It was hard to find a team member with a negative outlook within the organization. Of course, there were minor frustrations and inconveniences with the approach of a few leaders. Those inconveniences were not consequential enough to cause a high rate of turnover. Our teams were positive overall, and this showed in the companies engagement scores. 2020 thru July - The initial scare of the pandemic and economic shutdown brought fears of layoffs. Those fears were subsided by the leadership team. They did a good job of communicating and reassuring employees we would safely navigate the uncertain times. Press Ganey employees sacrificed their 401k match to ensure we could sustain our workforce. Most of us understood, and knew we were all in this together.
Cons
August of 2020 to date - The rapid downfall of this organization can only be described as a colossal failure of leadership. During the first few months of the pandemic, the organization saved millions of dollars on travel and 401k match. That continued until January of 2021. Those extra savings were not given back to employees to help payback their 401k, and those funds rarely provided much needed assistance to extremely underpaid employees after their spouses had lost their jobs. Instead, that money went toward multiple new acquisitions. The next crucially flawed step in the failure of leadership was the reaction to the loss of a few high profile clients. This led to multiple questionable leadership hirings at the c-suite level, and most importantly, the departure of critical strategic leaders within the organization. A new partnership delivery model was discussed in the late summer and fall of 2021 - Press Ganey was transitioning into a SaaS company. The fear of the unknown, the lack of leadership during an eighth month SaaS delivery design phase, and their inconsistent messaging from September 2021 until recently created a vacuum that pushed employees to flee the company in every direction. While the SaaS model understandably required some thinning of the ranks, the turnover truly became astonishing. If you don’t believe this review, simply follow PG on LinkedIn and see how often they are celebrating new hires. Look at their career’s page. It’s littered with replacement jobs for the loss of incredible employees and talent. The absolute worst part of this entire experience has been observing Pat Ryan change. Maybe Pat is showing his true colors? Pat clearly and bluntly blames employees for the shocking drop in morale. During today’s town hall, Pat, who frequently interrupts his leadership team, made it a point to tell people in the organization that they have to “own the culture”. Yes, the employees have responsibility. In this case, Pat, you’re wrong. The turnover didn’t occur because of the workforce losing interest in maintaining the culture, or their home lives; it happened because of your change in strategic approach and your uninspired leadership since late 2020. You and the leadership team are responsible for creating a mismanaged and drastic strategic shift. You’re responsible for continuing to acquire multiple companies without a clear plan to integrate them. You’re at fault for not seeing the weaknesses in your acquisition and integration strategy. Most importantly, you’re at fault for not celebrating your longterm employees. Those are the employees quitting in droves. With every recent communication you have proven to us that you don’t appreciate your workforce anymore. It has made me personally wonder, were we all just a pawn in your scheme to create your own golden parachute before retirement? Where are Press Ganey’s engagement results, Pat? Why aren’t you showing us that most staff still trust midlevel leaders, but that the majority don’t trust you? To Cassandra and the HR team - Every current and former employee that has left a detailed response on Glassdoor is aware that you can’t win in this situation. You have to respond with a careful and uninspired response. The astonishing turnover we have seen, and will continue to see, is not your fault.
