The upper management acts as if it's actively listening to employees through surveys and messaging, but those gestures are rarely translated into any material change. They make decisions brazenly that greatly impact and affect everyone's workflow, and only realize they might have overreacted or made a mistake when the backlash inevitably happens (as in the case of the hotdesking policy, or the total lack of preparations for new employees healthcare following a major acquisition). As a quick aside with regard to healthcare and benefits, they're pretty bad -- my healthcare plan treats practically every clinic as out of network, and 401k matching is low.
On the surface, management says they welcome criticism or suggestions, but it's almost always dismissed or taken as an insult. The company shows it doesn't really value its employees in those ways, but it also demonstrates that behavior in how incredibly cheap it is. If you travel by air for your job, the company will prioritize flights with layovers just to save an insignificant amount of money. If you need programs and equipment to do your job better (or, at all) you'll be met with heavy resistance from IT. One executive who spends little time in NY expressed disappointment at a perceived "lack of morale" in the office, rather than inquiring why this may have been the case, or reflecting on controversial decisions their team made that may have caused this. And the slow recognition of the union -- coupled with the company's rejection of key staff in an apparent effort of weakening the union's power -- reinforces the feeling that the company does not value the people at the bottom.
