Gusto

There is a lot of great individual contributor (IC) talent here who genuinely try to do good work under chaotic circumstances.

You are underpaid, and there is absolutely no 401(k) matching, which is shocking and ironic for a payroll and benefits company. Senior leadership feels completely disconnected from the actual workers, which is highly apparent when they celebrate at all-hands meetings. The engineering standards are surprisingly chaotic, and collaborating is like pulling teeth due to egos, which frequently stalls progress. Work-life balance is hard to maintain, and the office environment feels cold and disconnected.

Start experiencing what it is actually like to be an IC on the ground here. Have some empathy for the workers doing the labor instead of only looking upward. Focus on the people doing the work, pay attention to the actual big picture of a project, and close the massive visible gap between senior leadership and the employees.