Unrealistic expectations
Mismanagement
Low salaries
Limited opportunities
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As a former employee of six years, this was hard to write.
I moved roles three times, all in the pursuit of better pay, and it was the only way I could ever receive it. Despite this, I somehow still went 2 years without a salary review due to the timing of my sabbatical — an issue I had been promised wouldn't matter.
KPIs are important, but irrelevant if the people setting them have no idea how to use their measurement tools. Data without context doesn't actually provide useful feedback opportunities, which is a major cultural failing.
I spent more time arguing as a Team Lead on behalf of my employees — demanding answers about their low pay or unfair measurement standards — than I did getting my actual work done. This often fell on deaf ears, and I couldn't advance many of my employees no matter what any of us did. This translated over to my next role in the company, wherein coworker reviews I worked hard to write rarely mattered in the grand scheme of salary decisions.
It appeared they made the decision to close the Tampa office nearly a full year before they told us, as upper management used several common tactics (often deployed in the US) to encourage employee attrition, rather than practicing transparency.
Any failings they have as a company — particularly within leadership — are harkened back to the "growing pains of a startup," despite their ruthlessly corporate business practices. It is also my opinion that laid off employees were not treated with dignity or empathy, even while still actively employed during the "transition", and it was a tragedy to watch.
