Favoritism and nepotism are prevalent. There’s a different culture and set of expectations for those that are in certain cliques and that are friends of senior leadership, including the founders. The treatment and expectations for these individuals are dramatically different from others, especially newer hires. Given there are multiple examples of this in completely separate departments, these are not one offs. This is part of the culture.
Politics outweighs performance. Advancement and opportunity is often tied more to social alignment and personal relationships with leadership than to results or experience. If you’re not in the inner circle or don’t play along, your growth is limited, or worse, you’ll be pushed out.
The worst management I’ve experienced in my career was at Jane. Many leaders are either inexperienced or outright toxic, and they tend to hire in their own image creating a self-perpetuating cycle.
The company promotes a message of inclusivity, support, and psychological safety, but the reality is pretty much the opposite. Bullying and intimidation behaviors are tolerated and typically come from the same favored individuals mentioned above.
Feedback is frequently dismissed or deflected with toxic positivity. Attempting to raise valid concerns and provide suggestions for improvements, especially about culture or favoritism, is often met with gaslighting or silence.
Experienced employees frequently disappear without explanation. People would go from being visible to gone overnight, often after challenging the status quo or seemingly being disliked by certain people or groups.
Critical decisions are made by a select few, and when those decisions go wrong, blame is often passed down. Documenting conversations and decisions becomes essential to protect yourself.
There’s more energy spent on optics than outcomes and the ratio of people actually doing the work to those talking about it is way off.
