1y
We appreciate your review, even if it’s harsh. So, first things first, we do wish you had a better experience here, particularly with your manager who it sounds like you did not see eye to eye with. Second, we thank you for your contribution to our team.
Employers walk a fine line in responding to reviews. On the one hand, we never want to be defensive or try to change the former employee's perspective on things. It's important to receive feedback in humility and gratitude. On the other hand, when feedback contains false information, even accusations of bribery and illegal activity, we are compelled to respond for the sake of our incredible team and future candidates who may be reading this. With that said, here are some of our thoughts in response to your review.
1. We are sorry if someone made political or religious comments you did not appreciate. There are employees with all sorts of differing political and religious views here and we respect them for that. We don't, however, tolerate discrimination or disparagement of others.
2. Employees DO progress here. I am an example of that, having grown into five different roles with increasing responsibility over time. As we grow, positions are created and those who are committed to doing their job well and living our values often get those opportunities. We also have other "sister" companies here that offer growth opportunities as well.
3. I am not trying to change your perception here, but we do strive to listen to employees’ concerns. We do this through anonymous and non-anonymous surveys, weekly and bi-weekly 1:1s, and more. Employee feedback is very important to us.
4. We are sad that you stated our reviews and postings are lies, and what you have said is not true. Regarding our Best Places to Work awards over the years (4 in the last 5 years), companies cannot - and we DID NOT - bribe, pay, pressure, or coerce employees into taking the survey. We are careful with our wording to invite, not require, employees to take the survey. We send the invitation via email (not face to face "asks") and have no way of knowing who completes it or what they say. It is always voluntary.
5. Regarding diversity, we want to be more racially diverse than we are. As a part of the recruiting process, I can vouch that we work toward this goal and will continue to do so. Also, there is a good split of males and females on our team, our President is a woman, and half of our Executive Team members are women.
6. Your statement that our accounting team makes costly payroll errors or is possibly operating illegally is a false and damaging claim. I work with the team who prepares payroll, and I can tell you it is a painstaking process with many checks and balances and many layers of review for error. The person who currently processes payroll is exacting, knowing that having on-time and correct pay is the most basic need for all employees. If you personally experienced an error in payroll while you were here and did not tell us, please tell us now. We’ll want to make it right.
7. Your statement about COVID is not true. When COVID started in early 2020, we were in the same boat as many companies who wondered what was going to happen and whether we would need to cut salaries or cut employees. We decided we didn’t want anyone on our team to lose their job, so we instead planned to cut salaries, with the Executives and Directors slated to get the highest pay cuts. We lowered pay for one wek but were able to restore salaries and pay eveyone back for that week because we qualified for COVID related tax relief programs and subsidies as were many other employers. So the truth is no one was laid off and no one got a pay cut.
I will say again: I wish your experience was different here and that you enjoyed it and were more fulfilled. And I hope you are very happy where you are now. Take care.
- Human Resources
