Pendo

• “Unlimited” PTO, but they are now tracking it
• ICs are great, especially staff+. Tons of smart devs to learn from
• Nice office downtown
• Business is trending in the positive direction and growing faster than competitors
• C-level execs are good people who care

• Health benefits continue to go downhill in order to save the company money and family plans are no longer fully sponsored by employer
• Internally published pay bands aren’t too far off from market average, but most employees are still paid at the very bottom of those bands. Merit based increases are often not enough to match inflation and equity grants are extremely small compared to similar sized companies
• Sales has struggled to hit goals so bonuses for non-quota carrying departments are significantly reduced compared to previous years
• Engineering leadership needs an overhaul if the company hopes to succeed in the long run. The department is plagued by constant interpersonal drama that feels more like high school than a professional environment. Many engineers and their direct managers operate out of fear, worried they’ll somehow upset senior leadership and end up on their "bad side.” Trust in leadership is virtually nonexistent due to unpredictable decision-making and inconsistent communication. While survey results may appear neutral or even positive, that’s likely because employees fear potential consequences such as reduced bonuses, stalled career growth, or even termination, if they provide honest feedback. For instance, a few months ago, anonymous engineering town hall questions raised concerns about questionable actions within senior leadership. Rather than addressing these concerns transparently and moving forward, leadership took steps to identify those who submitted the comments, reinforcing the culture of fear rather than fostering open dialogue.

It’s time to seriously rethink the current leadership in engineering. You need someone who knows how to actually lead, someone who builds people up rather than people who try to control every detail at every layer. The culture has taken a hit under this leadership style, and if you want to create a faster, stronger, more collaborative environment, you need someone who can rebuild trust and set the right tone.

Lastly, while it may be tempting for leadership to read this and think “but we’re actively seeking someone to help solve this issue!”, you’ve had two great leaders over the past few years and the controlling, fear-based, drama-filled environment still persisted, and then those individuals left for other opportunities. Hiring someone new will not fix with the issue if the leadership responsible for the issues is still there.