Zendesk

Compensation is excellent.

Hours are flexible.

Lots of friendly colleagues.

Reception did a good job of looking after everyone when we were still in the office.

More emphasis on self-care during extended lockdown. Things such as care allowance, equipment expensing, and flexi-Fridays have been appreciated.

Many examples of the Peter Principle exist in middle management.

Some engineers have been promoted to people management roles without the necessary people skills. They lack the will and self-awareness to develop in this area.

Internal processes are a mess. Zendesk somehow manages to combine all the inflexibility of a large corporation with the disorganization of a startup.

I've seen several colleagues become sick with workplace stress. In cases against problem managers, HR makes sympathetic noises but takes little action.

As we discuss returning post-COVID, Zendesk is trying to bring in hotdesking. This is despite legitimate safety concerns from staff.

Meetings are held for the sake of meetings.

While Zendesk claims to be a meritocracy, career progression is arbitrary. There is no transparency. Some enjoy rapid progression while others are stuck. It all depends on your manager (see above).

The company has a hard time acknowledging its problems. Unless you're drinking the Kool-Aid and saying how everything is totally awesome, no one wants to listen.

Be the friendly and transparent company you claim to be.

Encourage employees to question the status quo.

More female engineering leadership, especially at director level and above.

Take employee welfare seriously. Stop pretending that workplace stress isn’t a problem. What you have done during COVID is a good start.

Put a clear and actionable promotion framework in place.

Don't be afraid to take underperforming people managers out of their roles and back into engineering roles where they would be more comfortable. Your teams will thank you.