Pros
(1) Co-workers (i.e. non-management) were mostly supportive and kind. (2) Speaking with customers can be really fulfilling.
Cons
Please note that these are my personal experiences and opinions. (1) Lack of Diversity - As the company grew, it felt like senior management/roles were filled by predominantly cis-gender white folx. When the question of diversity was brought up time and time again, the perceived solution was to fill the lowest paid teams/positions with BIPOC to keep diversity numbers up. HR would then rave about how increasingly diverse we have become – however, when the vast majority of your diversity is at the lowest part of the totem pole, are you really that diverse and equitable? (See #3) (2) Promotion of Nepotism - I am aware that when it comes to Corporate America, sometimes it really does come down to who you know. However, this took a completely different meaning when the current CCO was hired. Day 1 employees who had put everything into Carrot were slowly pushed out with fear and intimidation tactics, and these positions and new ones felt like they were filled by the CCO’s personal connections (predominantly white folx from Iowa), even if they were severely under-qualified. I’m all for giving people opportunities to grow and challenge themselves; however, how about we give those opportunities internally first? (3) Team Specific Cons for Member Success Department (i.e. Care Navigation (CN) and Payments Team) - Lowered Salaries - An associate position on CN and/or payments team is paid less than an associate position on most other teams. Same goes for management positions. Over time, they continued to lower the salaries of the new hires. If you try to share salaries to promote fair and equal pay (something that is completely legal), you will be bullied and blacklisted by superiors. - Unrealistic Changes in Schedule - This department used to be a normal 8-5 type until the company grew and introduced 24 hour service. I understand the demand of this, but there are certain asks that are impossible without other teams online. However, no other team was affected by this massive change (at least not while I was there), which further speaks to the fact that Member Success is not viewed in the same regard and respect. - Unrealistic Expectations - Be prepared to be constantly monitored like you are in kindergarten, and reprimanded if you are not working like a robot. Our productivity would be sent in public emails, which created an environment of shame. This resulted in people working well past their hours to avoid their names being deemed as the least productive, while those who were unhealthily working 24/7 became the standard. You would often get pulled into 1:1s to be told you are being watched despite doing your best and/or if you were struggling with a family/personal/health emergency. You have to essentially ignore the fact that you are human to meet demand. - Laughable Bonus - A ~$500 quarterly bonus was introduced if you met some unrealistic expectation. I watched my coworkers (especially those with children), work 12+ hour a day hoping to receive this small bonus for their families. At the same time, other teams received larger bonuses with what felt like a lower floor of expectation. Why even have a bonus then? Oh yeah, it's so you can take advantage of the already lowest paid workers to push themselves till they break for *maybe* an $150 extra a month post tax. - Being Treated as Sub-Human - Be prepared to be over-worked and then disrespected if you are on these teams. If you reach out to your superiors or HR, they pretend to listen and then illicit what felt like 0 change. If anything, each time someone spoke out it seemed like things just got worse and worse because they viewed it as they’re lazy, taking things for granted, complainers. This created a fear-based environment where everyone stopped trying to receive fair treatment. Many people continued to leave/job search, and I believe that was the plan - push out current employees so they can hire new ones at a lower pay who didn’t yet know they were being ill-treated. Rinse and repeat. - Lack of Growth Opportunities - You can almost guarantee you will not be given mentorship or opportunities for growth. If you try to switch departments/transfer, management can intercept and kill your chance at interviewing for other positions. They would much rather hire new individuals for higher positions after selling them the Carrot Dream, because promoting from within/allowing transfers means providing people who have been severely ill-treated the opportunity to have a voice. - Separation from the Rest of the Company - At times, this department was not allowed to attend meetings for support groups, learning opportunities, and at times company wide meetings due to demands and working hours. On the company website it states “We offer several employee community groups (ECGs) that help employees build stronger connections, create development opportunities, increase engagement among colleagues, and offer social, educational, and community activities” – but again, on these teams this does not seem to apply to you. Which again is shocking considering this is the most diverse part of the company. There was not a week that went by where I did not cry at work because of how I was being treated, or comfort a fellow co-worker for the same. Even now as I post this I feel IMMENSE levels of anxiety. If you are BIPOC or person with disabilities, I do not recommend working here, ESPECIALLY if you are at the start of your career and especially in the aforementioned teams.
