Pros
N/a read cons section sums everything up.
Cons
I worked at Alabaster for many years, and it’s heartbreaking to see what the company has become because I also experienced what made it special. When I first joined, the culture truly felt like a family. People cared about each other, departments worked together, and there was a genuine sense of purpose. Today, that culture feels largely gone. One of the biggest disconnects is the company’s messaging versus reality. Leadership often talks about being a family, but when the business struggles, employees quickly become expendable. Loyalty is expected from employees, yet it doesn’t always feel like that loyalty is returned when difficult decisions need to be made. Another contradiction was the company’s emphasis on creating authentic, human-written content while eliminating its only full-time writer. It sent a confusing message about what leadership actually values. The layoffs were also difficult to watch. Long-time, full-time U.S. employees were let go while other lower-cost positions remained. Regardless of the reasoning, it left many employees questioning whether dedication and years of service were truly valued. Communication between departments is one of the company’s greatest weaknesses. Teams often operate independently with little visibility into what other departments are doing. Employees are regularly hired into positions without the proper experience, receive minimal training, and are later expected to perform at a high level without the support necessary to succeed. Management also lacks consistency. Many leaders appear disconnected from the day-to-day work of their teams, resulting in employees feeling unsupported, underdeveloped, and uncertain about priorities. From my perspective, leadership also made financial decisions that were difficult to understand. During periods when the company communicated financial challenges and reduced headcount, money continued to be spent on catered lunches, stipends, international travel, and maintaining office space in the name of culture. Those priorities felt out of alignment with the difficult decisions employees were being asked to accept. The constant organizational changes only made things harder. People were frequently moved between roles before they had the opportunity to learn, improve, or make a meaningful impact. Instead of developing expertise, employees were left constantly adapting to new responsibilities. The saddest part is knowing what Alabaster used to be. It was a place filled with talented people who genuinely cared about one another and believed in the mission. There was so much potential. Today, it often feels like visibility with leadership and internal clout matter more than developing great people or building strong teams. I truly hope the company can find its way back because there are still many incredible employees there who deserve thoughtful leadership, better communication, financial discipline, and a culture that genuinely lives up to the values it promotes.
