I have worked across several multinationals and a start-up, and this was the first time I encountered such a lack of onboarding, role training, and leadership support. In every previous roles, autonomy was expected only after an appropriate ramp-up period, regardless of seniority:
- Lack of onboarding and training: Despite being fully transparent during all interview stages about my lack of prior experience in both the industry and the sustainability function, no structured onboarding, training, or learning plan was provided. Expectations were not aligned with the reality of a new hire learning a completely new domain.
- Unrealistic expectations of autonomy: I was expected to operate with a high level of autonomy within the first few weeks, despite having no prior exposure to the role, tools, or internal processes. Asking questions was discouraged due to management being “too busy,” which made it very difficult to learn and perform effectively.
- Insufficient managerial support: The only touchpoint with my manager was a single weekly 1:1 (30–60 minutes). There was no day-to-day guidance, feedback loop, or mentoring, which is especially critical for someone new to the role and industry.
- Poor people management and communication: Feedback was almost exclusively negative and reactive, with no constructive guidance on how to improve or succeed. Expectations were often implicit rather than clearly communicated, creating a “read-my-mind” environment.
- Isolation within the organization: The team consisted only of me and my manager, and no one else within Global Sustainability had sufficient knowledge of the topic to provide support. As a result, I never felt integrated into the broader GS team and was largely left to figure things out alone.
- Termination due to known lack of experience: I was let go after 7 weeks for “lack of experience,” despite this being clearly disclosed and discussed prior to hiring. This created a significant personal and professional setback, as I left a stable role based on the understanding that the company was willing to invest in learning and development.
