Great collegues, poor leadership
Gut am Arbeitgeber finde ich
On the bright side, there are still plenty of talented and professional colleagues around, making teamwork enjoyable when the stars align. The new office is a nice perk, albeit a bit too quiet, and the central city location is definitely convenient.
Schlecht am Arbeitgeber finde ich
I worked at this company for over four years, and during that time, I watched the company culture go from promising to problematic. Management seems to have perfected the art of maintaining a high-stress environment and generously sharing it with everyone else. Communication between departments? A total mess, bordering on catastrophic most of the time.
In the development department, your experience largely depends on the roll of the dice with team leaders. If you land in a team with a competent leader, you might actually enjoy your job and feel motivated. But if luck isn't on your side, you could end up with a team lead who's as disengaged as they come, driving talented people out the door faster than you can say "retention."
There used to be a time when developers had a say in technology choices, and that autonomy was one of the few things that kept me around. But now, everything's clamped down by tight budgets and decisions imposed from the top, leaving little room for creativity or innovation.
Feedback mechanisms? More like feedback black holes. Management nods along politely during discussions, only to forget everything the moment you walk out the door. Environmental responsibility? Let’s just say I didn't notice any efforts in that direction. And while older employees are treated on par with younger ones, the leadership remains overwhelmingly male. Despite multiple conversations about this imbalance, leadership's response is usually a shrug and something along the lines of, "It's not our fault we're men." As a man myself, I have to admit, hearing such flimsy excuses is more than a little amusing.
The once unthinkable culture of finger-pointing is thriving now, with passive-aggressive remarks and sarcastic one-upmanship becoming the norm among disgruntled colleagues. Support and shared goals within teams? Sure, if you're one of the lucky ones with a decent team lead. Trust and respect? Again, that's down to luck.
Compensation is below market average, and growth opportunities are scarce. Decision-making is almost exclusively top-down now, often with little to no explanation, so if you were hoping to influence change, well, good luck with that.
HR might swoop in here with the usual canned response about reaching out for support, but let's be real—nothing they do ever seems to make a difference. The annual feedback surveys have become a running joke among staff, filled with bland, meaningless phrases. Honestly, I could have written that I took a trip to the Moon this year, and I doubt anyone would have noticed.
Verbesserungsvorschläge
Leadership should listen to employee feedback and restore decision-making autonomy.
Karriere/Weiterbildung
Budgets for conferences and training have been slashed dramatically in recent years, so don’t hold your breath for any professional development.