Pros
The main positive aspect was the co-workers, who were generally supportive, collaborative, and friendly. Team members often tried to help each other, which made day-to-day work more manageable. Beyond that, there were few positive aspects, as management and organizational issues overshadowed much of the experience.
Cons
Compensation and benefits are below industry averages. The corporate headquarters remains largely unoccupied, appearing to serve more of an administrative purpose than a strategic one. Company culture feels fragmented, and recurring layoffs contribute to a sense of instability. The Automotive Aftermarket Parts analytics team faces significant management challenges. Leadership tends to be overly directive and resistant to new ideas, which limits employee autonomy and innovation. One long-tenured director, in particular, demonstrates a lack of leadership capability and professionalism expected in a modern technology environment. When concerns were raised through HR, the outcome appeared to negatively affect my role, suggesting limited accountability and a tendency to protect certain individuals in management. Overall, management lacks the depth of experience, academic background, and professional certifications typically required to effectively lead technology teams. Product managers are frequently asked to assume responsibilities outside their scope, such as acting as scrum masters and overseeing tasks in a generic Jira environment. Many managers appear to hold their roles either due to long tenure with the company or as a result of acquisitions from smaller organizations, where senior titles were retained post-merger. Additionally, recent workforce reductions seemed to disproportionately affect employees not working under visa sponsorship, raising concerns about fairness and transparency in layoff decisions.
