Fear Over Strategy. Egos Over Culture. It’s a Mess.
Pros
The people. Despite everything, I have met some incredible Expedians along the way, who have been some of the most talented, compassionate, and incredible people I’ve ever worked with.
Cons
Toxic and fear-driven culture. Leadership rules by ego and intimidation, not vision. 3 CEOs in my tenure, and this latest leadership team has completely lost touch with employees and reality. Decision making is non-existent. Leadership can’t seem to make, or stand by a single clear decision. Constant pivots, reorgs, and shifting priorities have left everyone confused, anxious, and burnt out. Endless layoffs with zero clarity or strategy. Talented people are treated as disposable. Micromanagement and control have replaced creativity and innovation. The company talks about culture but does nothing to nurture it. It’s all empty words. Smoke and mirrors. The new leadership team seems solely focused on stock performance. Meanwhile, morale, productivity, mental health and wellbeing are at rock bottom. Even with a woman CEO, women’s advancement at EG is non-existent. It is heartbreaking. Rather than empowering one another, many women are forced into toxic competition for survival, cutting one another off at the knees. No career growth or mobility. Once you're in a role, you're pigeon holed, no matter how talented you are. Multiple colleagues have taken medical leaves for mental health. The anxiety and uncertainty here are worse than during the pandemic, and that’s saying something as a travel company. Even senior leaders are quitting abruptly. When your Chief People Officer walks out overnight, that’s not a coincidence, it’s a red flag.