Netflix – “Pay was great, leadership was horrendous..”

I could not have said this better myself. FANATASTIC...

Maybe should have added Career advancement as a pro since they fire everyone-there is ALWAYS career advancement opportunities. That is if you can last past the normal 1-3 year life span of a Netflix employee. But even then, you are never safe from being "voted off the island". Many reasons, not a good "culture fit", makes too much money or my all time fav-"made a bad decision." I didn't shower this morning-would that me considered a "bad decision?"

How is it that there aren't any jobs in the united states, but if you go to the Netflix website....page after page of available jobs.hummmmmm

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Wish there was a facebook-type "like" button for some of these comments. Preaching to the choir!

I find it hilarious that most of you that are complaining about Netflix are gone. Sour grapes perhaps?

Yes, sour grapes. For being treated like a work mule and then terminated without good cause, for the long hours and many days spent away from my family supporting the Netflix culture just to have it come back and bite me, for being forced to take action on employees that management did not like for personal reasons, for being forced to act outside of the company values to keep a job there, for having HR say one thing to you while discussing your pending termination with senior management, for HR not backing you up when you were told in writing they ageed with you.

Sour grapes.........naw.

Don't judge those that have gone before you as you may be next.

Well said Ex-Flixer.. I worked there for over a year and feel the exact same way the original poster does. I am not sour either.. Just wish I didn't waste so much time on a company who obviously doesn't value its employees.

this company is truly dysfunctional, and the irony is that as much as management thinks that they have hired and retained top talent, the smart ones are slowly leaving. Between firing the wrong people and the ones that left, what's here are the dead weights... people here don't have a clue. It's a dysfunctional environment full of contradictions and no consistency.

I see that someone didn't like the fact that they were called out so they deleted the posting.. You can delete all you want, but sooner or later everyone will know who the downfall of NF really was.

Looks like they just deleted the HR mention. Normal practice. Besides, Netflix has the worst HR in the country but then again why would you really need good HR people since Netflix HR's main job responsibilty is to carrry around the severance agreements. HR in Netflix is the laughing joke of the company. A "team" of back stabbing losers that can't stand anyone that is more intellegent then them. It's funny to sit back and watch them at meetings, plotting who will be next for being too quiet, too loud, too quirky, too creepy, etc.

I am so impressed by this post - they said everything we have known for the last few years but couldn't articulate and were too afraid to call out! I am so ecstatic to find this web site! HR at Netflix is beyond the pale. This is not a company to WORK for - unless you like casting pearls before swine. Take your talents someplace where they will be appreciated and you will be rewarded - here you'll just get reamed.

At least now they tell employees up front that they are on a hair trigger, I had to learn that on my own. You may be let go anytime regardless of how productive you are. 3 years was a very long tenure during my time there. There is zero loyalty from management to employees. The review process is a means of getting employees to rat on each other. They could easily make the reviews so that only the reviewee gets to read them if they truly wanted to live up to the highly esteemed company values. The vacation policy is a scam. All true.

That said, for the investor this is a very well run company. During my stint there I gleaned everything I could about operations, marketing, customer usage and product strategy. One thing they were good at was keeping employees appraised of company strategy. I loaded up on NFLX because I knew it intimately and knew it was very well run, from an investor's perspective. It counterbalanced my portfolio's big losers during the economic downturn. I'm concerned about the transition to streaming but so far, so good.

the revolving door was indeed amazing.

I've discouraged friends from working there. Why would you work for a company that values you less than their furniture?

This thread has been great, I wish I had read it before accepting their job offer.

To the prior poster who finds the pain of former employees hilarious, I think that comment alone is pretty telling. This is the sociopathic mentality that pervades the Netflix management culture.

I can only speak for myself. My spouse worked for Netflix. He was promoted until they thought he made too much money. He was an excellent performer and, as a result, I gave up my own career advancement so we could relocate around the country to demonstrate his willingness and ability to take on new responsibility and succeed. We gave up financial stability to relocate - b/c the relo packages in the early days were non-existent. We went anyway - on our own dime. But we did it because we believed in the business concept, loved the cache and thrill of building an up and coming business, and really thought the promotions would come as he continued to demonstrate solid performance. When he was last up for a promotion to Regional, one of the Directors asked him how much money he made. The interview then continued to include questions completely irrelevant to his work experience. It was weird - but a harbinger of things to come. He was then "targeted" and "re-org'd" out of the company months after he was passed over for the promotion. Now - our family is on the ropes financially. He was let go during the worst recession in history. This is how they treat their top performers.

The way we are living now is unbelievable. This was not the future we worked so hard for - to admit our failure is to say we believed in this company and that was dead wrong. Netflix doesn't deserve the loyalty, the hours, the talent, the dedication, the extra miles and miles and miles we put in to make my husband's hubs a success. I am not the typical spouse - I care about the work my husband does. I care about the company he works for. I care about how it impacts our family and our future. I cannot get over the sucker punch but I can also tell you it wasn't a huge surprise. I saw other really good managers disappear while a couple key players (who now gate keep the top) advanced despite exhibiting behaviors I would find abhorrent and would never hire for my own company. I don't know if Netflix has sold out or is running scared and now trying to hold the pieces together -- but they have ruined our lives. It was the worst career move as far as I'm concerned - but what hurts is that it didn't start out that way and it certainly didn't have to end that way. So - if being robbed of a future and having the collective commitment of our family tossed aside by Netflix means my post sounds like sour grapes, well then feel free to call it whatever suits your limited vocabulary.

Netflix doesn't care. Period.

I don't think your comments are just "sour grapes". I was in upper management and was treated the same way. I can't believe I spent all those nights in hotel rooms away from my family for that company, especially after I recognized them for what the were. I saw them treat people like your husband as you have described and I know how their thought processes worked. They were not ethical, way too much personal feelings and subjective measurements went into their decision making on personnel moves, it was sad. I myself lost my job while I was hitting most all my goals and targets, nuch better than 75% of my peers, and my operations were some of the best in their peer groups. I was told I didn't fit the Netflix profile. I was already looking and if they would have waited another week I would have left on my own, but my boss couldn't wait to get me out the door as I did not agree with him on certain personnel moves. Hang in there, I hope all works out for you. I feel guilty, I had a job lined up doing something I really enjoy and I got away from Netflix at the same time. I love it when a plan comes together.

I knew when my husband didn't get promoted that time was of the essence. I wanted him to look for other work because even if he had been promoted, we knew it wouldn't stick. There was simply no other way to move up and we'd already seen countless managers get promoted only to then be fired within months of their promotions. But, he loved his job, loved the company, and thought that somehow nice guys wouldn't finish last here. I thought that was naive and sad to say, I was right. Plus, HR continued to blow smoke up his skirt - but of course we know quite well how manipulative HR is - they are quite possibly the worst of the lot. But then, lies become the culture here, so no doubt they are just following suit.

Now, because he is unemployed at the worst time in our country's history, the job offers just aren't there. The work he did for Netflix was, in one way, quite generic. But other aspects were so proprietary it makes him a hard sell. Plus, he had great credentials, but in the hubs they don't care if you have a degree or an ounce of intelligence - they (the upper managers) don't have a clue how to utilize that kind of talent. They are too focused on finding ways to stir the pot, I guess. And clearly, developing talent in this company is so NOT a priority, it doesn't even exist. The rank and file always said, "if we don't visit your hub it is because you are doing a great job." When in fact, all that meant is that you just weren't on their radar for termination. Still - if anyone had an ounce of integrity they would have been up front with my husband to let him know what was happening. But - that isn't corporate America and that certainly isn't Netflix. This is not a place where teamwork or relationship building is valued either. If you treat people well as a manager you are seen as weak but the upper managers. They are like cavemen - they grunt and scratch and then would rather club you than collaborate.

Netflix is a place where nice guys finish dead last. And, if you happen to be a nice guy with a nice family with a healthy work ethic and sense of integrity, forget it. They'll just laugh at you - as evidenced here. If you don't swear, or party, or treat your colleagues with disdain you will be the butt of their jokes. There is zero incentive for the Directors to promote and retain good workers - their 200K (plus) jobs would be in danger if they did. It is so blatant and obvious -- but then, this is not a group of folks who can handle nuance let alone manage a firm grasp of the obvious.

We didn't deserve to be treated this way and I can never forget or forgive that. Our retirement is gone. Our kids college fund is gone. One daughter needs an MRI and we can't afford it. Another one ended up in the hospital and we have no way to pay for her bills. We don't have a roof over our heads. We are having to rely on others for help when we should be the ones reaching out to help everyone else. We are trying to start over when we should have been okay. My husband was working for a "recession proof" company and was let go just for someone else's amusement. I guess they find lying to each other hilarious - and they also find toying with people funny. Netflix is not a company I could ever endorse now - and it kills me. It didn't have to be this way. We went to graduate school, are hard workers, are good people and we are suffering because someone else I guess decided they didn't like my husband. These "personal reasons" that everyone keeps alluding too - I would love to know what they are/were. What could have possibly justified what has ruined our family after all we gave to this company?

I understand your frustration, I lost my job for NOT terminating some one like your husband. This hub manager was doing a good job, had made major improvements in his hub, was making most of his goals and was in the top of his peer groups but my boss did not like him and I was told to evaluate his ability to be a leader. I made my decision to keep him as he was doing a good job, with HR's blessing (fat lot of good that meant). However my boss didn't like him and the way he interacted with the group at meetings after hours when they were drinking he was too quiet (his words). I guess it was better to get sloppy drunk like him laugh all night about episodes of Family Guy instead. Anyways, it was my decision as long as it matched his, it didn't and I was out for not fitting the Netflix profile. I refused to sell my soul and save my job over one of my managers. Sadly, he was terminated within hours of me, go figure they always get what they want You have to understand, the Regionals will in almost every case do what the Directors tell them to do, they all want to be just like the big bad Directors. I didn't even respect mine so I had no desire to be like him, I'm glad to be gone.

I sincerely hope things work out for you soon. I wish I could help.

Thanks - I shouldn't unload here, but the pain is real and the lack of answers/accountability/rationale is acute. I just don't understand when you have people who are hitting their marks, working with honesty, have the respect of their peers -- why in the world would you dump them? But then, I too saw the way the Directors work and I was really not too surprised. As one other poster commented, you will be told that anyone who was termed knew it was coming - but that is a lie. Esp. when they term you for reasons unrelated to performance. The only thing left is you were termed for personal reasons. The gut punch with that is the personal reasons are trumped up -- the Directors are so out of touch with the folks on the ground that they operate solely by distortions and perception. They have no facts nor knowledge to work with. Thus, they obviously can't offer legitimate reasons for terming performers. Case in point one director visited my husband's hub (a few months prior to the termination) and he didn't have a clue about half of the operations. He was asking questions about the most basic of procedures and equipment. Maybe he was playing dumb, but if so, he did it convincingly. The directors are so out of touch they cannot make educated decisions about their staffing. The end game results in good people being out of work without good reason while the guys at the top get fatter and sloppier than their worst employee. My hat is off to you if you stood your ground - but I am sad that your ethical stance was taken for granted. I hope you have found a place to work where you are valued. We are trying to move on, but in this economy all it takes is a tragedy like this to sink a family. That is our case right now and it is grossly unfair. I still cannot catch my breath -- we threw away the best of both our careers supporting this atrocity. I can't get those years back.

Sour grapes-possibly if your husband stood up with the same testicular fortitude that you have, he would still be employed? As I am sorry to hear about your family situation, EVERYONE that works, or has worked for Netflix knows that their day is coming. You say in your postings that you knew that he made too much money and that you knew time was of the "essence" yet in another sentence you state that he never saw it coming? I tend to disagree. Everyone knows that if they don't stay under the radar-they will be next. Even if they do lay low-their salary or time with the company will eventually come to light. Netflix is so busy trying to protect their image that they are destroying it. How many managers or regionals were terminated for "bad decisions?" How many were fired for performance? (none) While I am not supporting their practices as I too was a casualty in this recession infested world, posting for your husband, may not be the best answer to your problems. Support him, yes. Make him look like he's not able to stand up for himself, possibly not the best decision. After all, you weren't there-if he tells you he didn't see it coming-you should re-read your remarks above. Posting remarks on glassdoor month after month is just making you re-live all the hurt that you feel. Its a new year-get a fresh perspective and treat Netflix for what it was....a bad decision. We all have them but the survivors are the ones that can move on from a tragedy and not continue to try to put down others. You have done your damage with your comments. The directors aren't going anywhere and you are right-they don't care-PERIOD.

To Confused - wow. I'm not sure how to respond. I fail to see how my husband's loyalty and belief in the company he loved working for is a demonstration of not having "testicular fortitude." But then, if you were successful at Netflix, then maybe you spoke only their language and, like them, couldn't see the value of a person who doesn't act like a ballsy jerk. Netflix is a place where braggadocio and bullying has increasingly been valued far and above over stable, no-nonsense approaches to getting the work done. You say I wasn't there? No I wasn't in the hub day in and day out - I was just there before and after hours, like every other spouse of a dedicated employee. Doing whatever I could to accommodate Netflix, the blackberry, the crazy hours and demands. Yea - I wasn't "there" - I was only negotiating my career path just so we could give even more to Netflix. I was only promoting the company to our friends and family, telling them how great it was. Not that the investment a spouse or family member makes carries any weight - as you and so many others have stated clearly - no one cares.

Finally, I fail to see how my comments in this thread have created any damage. I don't even know how to comprehend that statement. You are right that I need to let this go - and I will - we are doing everything in our power to thrive in spite of this setback. But I don't think my mistakes in believing in Netflix are not worth sharing. I think it is important for others to know this is a company that cannot be trusted with talent. I have never seen another organization treat human capital the way Netflix does. I don't consider their uniqueness in that regard an asset in any way, shape or form. But this is only my experience and my opinion. However, I can see by reading more of the posts here I am not the only one who shares this impression and that has actually been empowering to know we are/were not alone. The hurts of all these people posting to Glassdoor are real because the mistakes made by this company are real. To dismiss people who have worked so hard to make the company successful is to declare the company unfit for ambitious, success-driven professionals. IMHO

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Removed for simply stating the truth. People that live in glasshouses should never throw stones. Or at least you should have thrown the stones in the right direction.

This is so accurate and to the point. HR at netflix are deviant individuals who use every trick in the book to compile dirt for your future termination. Again why are directors not terminated due to the turn overs. after all they are a key player in the hiring of these manager positions. If thats the case then they sure are not doing a very good job of selecting . Are they they not giving managers the tools to be sucessful....I think Not.... So why is their decission making not be scutinized by the CEO's...Oh I know they dont have time because they are counting the cash from thier stock options....

Nicely said! I too have had an expierience with the HR staff. I was honest with the HR Manager about a personal issue that I had recently went through. In my 1:1 with my manager she mentioned the issue. I think my manager actually thought that I was the one who told her, but that was not the case at all. I informed one person and one person only. The HR Manager went and openly discussed my personal information.

The Netflix HR dept is a joke.