Wealthsimple

Your happiness at WS will largely depend on what team you're on. Some teams seem great and well-managed, but others are poorly run and create a culture of burnout.

Although it's large (even after the layoff), WS has a startup vibe (but not always in a positive way), with management insisting upon employees' devotion to the app for personal financial management, in order to "dog-food" the product. One manager suggested that employees should be happy to purchase premium memberships, even if they didn't need them, for testing purposes, and to demonstrate their belief in the product.

Similarly, when the issue of devices for testing was raised, one manager suggested that people use their wellness budgets not for wellness, but to purchase devices on which to test the app.

Fairly low dental benefits for cleaning; the lowest I've ever had.

WS is also not particularly receptive to critical feedback. People who ask critical questions in town hall meetings or on Slack have been penalized and shamed. Employees who expressed frustration with certain processes were told that they were creating an "unsafe psychological environment". This culture of forced positivity can feel oppressive and almost cult-like.

Opportunities to move to other teams within the company are limited, so if you end up on a team with a toxic culture, you're usually stuck.

There's agile, and then there's the chaos that results from poorly thought-through strategic decisions. Some teams make very little progress because the vision, direction, and even the name of the team seem to change constantly. Agility is, of course, a great skill, but in this case, it feels more like thrashing or scrambling about in panic and confusion.

Not all the managers are skilled or even compassionate; some drive their teams into the ground, saying obnoxious things like "if you're not over-performing, you're under-performing". Some use bullying tactics on team members. Some compare the skill level of team members in order to denigrate employees. Some blame low velocity on ICs instead of on poor planning on their part. Some micromanage and forget to take responsibility for the big picture. I suspect WS managers get intense pressure from above; some can't hack it and revert back to IC level, and others become hardened and unpleasant.

Despite WS saying they really value mental health, and despite the excellent mental health benefit budget ($5000), they do little to promote mental well-being in the workplace. If you're looking for an enjoyable place to work that won't put you in the red mental-health-wise, this may not be the place for you. In summary, on paper, this is a great place to work, but the reality can vary widely depending on your team. I've seen people leave and take a huge pay cut at their new job just to get out of there. If you're worried about your happiness at work, WS is really hit or miss. If you're into hustle-forward startup culture and don't mind swallowing your concerns, this could be a great place to work. If you want to be happy at work, I'd give WS a miss.