Believe the negative reviews. You are overworked and underpaid. They run you to the ground and set unrealistic expectations for deadlines and projects. There's a clique within the company, and they all kiss up to the COO and CCO. They all act friendly and will deceive you when you least expect it.
This is a toxic, toxic culture. I was brought into a completely new role with practically no training provided. I asked multiple times for help and training and was told, "We want to bring on someone senior instead and will dissolve your role." I get that, but you told me I would thrive in the job, and all restructured employees were given until EOY to learn and adapt. That was a lie.
They love to cut off employees who make higher salaries and target them—especially women. For example, the COO has in the past openly talked badly about a female team lead to the two other team leads without her presence. I had slowly worked my way up into the company, and from the moment I started the new position, I knew their expectations were unachievable and overwhelming. While not verbally told, I was expected to work long hours to turn things in on time. When I had to adjust due dates to provide accurate work, I was met with opposition. I confided in my manager, and nothing was done to determine how to fix the problem. Instead, they complained to the CCO and violated my trust in them. How am I supposed to meet deadlines and be detailed if the deadlines are so tight? How can I excel in a job I've never done before with 0 training?
Management restructures the company practically every time it breathes. Every month, it's always something different. Clients are dropping like flies for a reason. Mass layoffs have happened more times than I can count. They let go of good-value people and target them, then make up a terrible excuse on why they were allowed to go. This business has no actual structure, and they pretend to value their employees.
I was asked to communicate several times, and I did so, but not to their liking. My manager micromanaged me to the end, and at some point, I just wished I could find another job or they would let me go so I could be relieved from all the toxicity and disorganization. They chew up employees and spit them out. They love to say they have a great culture and tell you to take these surveys that "might be anonymous." They compensate for the lack of pay with coffee breaks, company retreats (where all you do is drink and kind of talk business), and bonus points you can send to coworkers. Raise your hand if you would rather just have a pay raise instead. I know I would.
Plus, they give out awful raises when you reach your annual review (only 2-5%), which accounts for nothing when you think about it. Everything is based on split decisions, and people are nothing but fake. This company is built on cliques, nepotism, and kissing up to leadership. If you want to work at a failing company with a negative outlook that's dropping clients every day and is toxic, be my guest. But it is not worth your mental health to take a job that does not meet industry standards on pay or is willing to spend more than 5 minutes training you.
The COO is going to type out some passive-aggressive response to this review. And I get it; I'd try to save my company, too, by urging current employees to write reviews that will reflect the company in a positive light. But these employees either have been coerced or have yet to experience the negative characteristics of SMS (which will come in due time). I know plenty of current employees looking for work right now because they are so fed up with the fake, toxic culture that underpays them, overworks them, and just straight up doesn't care. Instead of sending employees to write "positive" reviews, I suggest you fix your problems that are clearly affecting past and current employees. I'm talking to you, leadership.
