During my almost 3 three year tenure at Qualtrics, I had 4 managers and 3 tech leads.
Each manager was less experienced than the last. Each tech lead was less experienced than the last.
Promotions were based on who showed the most promise. Not who completed the best or most effort consistently. Close to zero data was used to make these promotion decisions.
The quarterly 360 performance review system is a complete joke. The OKR system is broken.
I went through 10 review cycles at Qualtrics. During the first three, I was exceeding or meeting expectations. As time went on, the expectations of output grew wildly. Every quarter you just stretch your OKRs to exceed your own performance from your previous quarter, even if you are meeting expectations. By the time of my 6th review cycle, almost two years into my role, my responsibilities on my team grew by a multiple of ten. Yet, I was held to a much higher bar because five previous stretch goal quarters had been "meeting expectations". After quarter #6, my mental health had declined beyond self-repair due to this incredibly soul-destroying system. I disclosed my clinical depression diagnosis to my direct manager. He shrugged it off and did not discuss my options with me. It didn't affect his trajectory after all, right? Aaaah, I can smell the Amazon from here. Anyway, due to this morbidly terrible goal-setting system they have, due to the garbage dump of a management team, I became unable to stretch my goals further. The following two quarters I became an "under performer" while holding over triple the responsibilities in my job role than the day I was hired. By my 9th quarterly review, working the hardest I have ever worked for a company in my life, I was placed on a PIP due to purposefully saying "No" to further day-to-day responsibility requests from management.
I left my role clinically depressed, an alcoholic, and with imposter syndrome that affected the trajectory of my career in a hugely negative way.
If you are a New Grad looking for a job, avoid Qualtrics at all costs. For your own good. Beware.
If you are a mid-level engineer looking for a new role, go work for Amazon. Same management experience, better pay.
As I am submitting this review for a role I left in 2019, I am happy to report I have recovered from my depression caused by my job at Qualtrics. Two years later, in 2021.
