Here are some highlights of the hypocritical and short-sighted decisions upper management has made over the past four to five years:
- The CTO hired a CDO from outside the company, despite several qualified, long-serving internal managers being in the running. Over the following year, the tech team scrambled to align with the new CDO’s vision. Just as we were getting up to speed, he was abruptly fired. The reason? He was working from out of state, and the CTO wanted someone “physically nearer to the company.” The irony: the CTO works out of Texas.
- Management loves to play musical chairs with annual reorgs, meaning your responsibilities can change at the drop of a hat. Of course, this does nothing to help the already siloed ecosystem. If anything, it further encourages focus solely on your vertical. At the company-wide level, we are FAR from the goals set by "One PL," but instead of facing that reality, leadership rolls out another dogmatic, nonsensical corporate ethos shift. Courtesy of our friends at PWC!
- Speaking of consultants, the amount spent on these contracts is staggering. In return, we get a group who railroads us with the most cookie-cutter ideas possible. Ultimately producing a barely functional product with no documentation before leaving the internal resources to patch the inevitable failures.
- During the pandemic, employees were told the AV office was being renovated for return. In reality, the company quietly sold that office and moved everyone to NB. Similarly, the Lynchburg office was unceremoniously closed earlier this year; around the same time as the RTO mandate. We were told those employees weren’t being laid off, but the reality was obvious.
- Finally, there is a general lack of consideration for employees. The 50-mile exemption rule was eliminated with the RTO mandate, forcing those of us who moved out of Orange County in the early 2020s into multi-hour commutes with no tangible benefit. Requests for accommodations were outright denied. Childcare? That’s on you. Gas or car charging costs? Not the company’s concern. Disability or regular medical needs? Better provide an “action plan” to appease the higher-ups. But hey, at least you can partake in “donuts with Darryl,” right? It’s downright condescending. Management is one step away from showing outright contempt for employees.
