The "open door policy" that has been mentioned several times are really just words on paper.
The policy is supposed to be "open doors" but just because it is stated as a policy does not mean it is reflected in the company or the management here. The fact that reviewers are not using this “open door policy” to give feedback and are instead using Glassdoor is because your own C level and management team do not live by this value. If you want an “open door policy” of communication and trust then train your management to start leading by example. This starts from the very top not by just telling your employees what they ought to be doing.
My advice to management is that trust and openness goes both ways. If you want a culture where employees feel safe to come in and share their frustrations to team leads you have to create the culture and environment of trust where we feel safe to do so. Every few months there are emails from HR saying "Team member _____ no longer works here". Firing team members in that manner is not very transparent and comforting message to be receiving.
Also during new hire on-boarding actually show a picture of the CEO and owner of the company. I understand that he desires privacy but it is really weird to show us the leading team but have a blank spot of the CEO. It is weird no offense. I see his generosity and he has done some amazing things. It is just weird and it also affects the culture of transparency and openness.
This also goes to the CTO. Since working here I have never felt or experienced the CTOs leadership or heard any of his input and direction on any actual technical direction of the company's platform. His office even often has the shades down and that does not make it feel very “open doors” at all. Openness, culture, and team relationships all start from leading by example from the top. Instead the only knowledge many of us have of the CTO is that he is the relative of the CEO and that he only holds the CTO position because of this relationship and that he was an early employee. That is some merit to being an early employee but just have him take a board director position and hire a real CTO that we can really look up to lead us.
This lack of leadership from the CTO affects how the directors below him manage (yes “manage”, not lead. There is so much lacking in leadership here).
For example we are not supposed to discuss matters with directors because we are told to communicate to our team leads and they will discuss matters to the directors. This is not the “open door” experience I expected and is not a flat structure anymore.
Overall it feels like as individual team members we are just being filtered through the hierarchy chain.
