Before I joined ShipperHQ, I assumed the negative Glassdoor reviews were exaggerated accounts from a handful of dissatisfied employees. I quickly learned they were not only accurate but understated. Instability was the daily reality, and its source was singular: Jo, the CEO, founder and sole authority.
She was brash, unpredictable, erratic, and frequently demeaning. Decisions were made rashly, often based on fleeting impulses, and then reversed without acknowledgment. Logic, structure, and follow-through were absent. Employees were left scrambling to adapt to directives that were routinely forgotten, contradicted, or ignored. Most concerning was Jo’s conviction that she was an expert in all areas of the business. In my experience, her understanding of many core functions was below average and, at times, entirely ignorant and uninformed.
It often felt as though Jo intentionally obstructed employees from completing their work as a form of control. Rationally, I understood this could not be true, since she owned the company, yet her behavior consistently created that impression. No competent leader would construct such barriers to productivity. The more likely explanation was her complete lack of self-awareness. What she perceived as helpful involvement was, in practice, interference. Surrounded by “yes-people” unwilling to challenge her, she appeared incapable of viewing herself with objectivity.
No employee was safe. Even if Jo treated someone with surface-level respect initially, it was only a matter of time before they became her target. She could shift from casual and joking to aggressive and confrontational within seconds, sometimes even threatening people’s jobs in front of others. I repeatedly witnessed her yell, curse, and speak in ways that were not only unprofessional but outright degrading. When employees sought clarification on her vague or contradictory directives, she often responded with rude, dismissive remarks instead of guidance.
There was no value in reminding Jo of prior instructions, pointing out contradictions, or producing evidence from her own Slack messages. Any attempt to prove her wrong backfired. The more one pressed, the more combative she became. Working under her leadership meant abandoning the expectation that logic, evidence, or reason would ever prevail. Her word in the moment was final, even when it directly opposed what she demanded the day before.
After multiple failed attempts to engage Jo in rational discussions about her contradictory directives, some of which turned hostile, it became clear to me that producing meaningful work at ShipperHQ was no longer possible. My role devolved into mere survival until I could secure another job.
