So much to say. It is a real shame what has happen to this company since the merger (though it sometimes feels like an acquisition: most leadership is from one company or newly hired, and the transition of power was botched from the very beginning when forthcoming CEO Adam was forced out). A once-in-a-lifetime company built deliberately over 30 years has slowly been picked apart over the last 2+ years, and it's really starting to show in the culture. While those who have stuck around are geniunely nice and caring, a lot of people still don't really trust leadership, but that's because they keep doing things that seem to counter the "our purpose is people" tagline.
Most recently, there are rumors of layoffs (some confirmed, but maybe more to come?), but most employees aren't even aware because there's been little transparency from company leaders. That makes people fearful for their own jobs, and sad for their friends/colleagues whose lives have been upended. It's hard to be fully productive when worried about losing your job. The old company took pride in never having to lay off a single employee - they would transfer them, reskill them, or work with them to unlock a new passion, and it usually worked out for the better - but they never really let people go except for disciplinary reasons. Now, we have people let go or really good, tenured people leaving in droves, and leadership refuses to acknowledge internal problems and instead blames it on the pandemic, great resignation, and other outside factors (they definitely play a role, but I like to think the old company would have made it through these tough times mostly intact because it was worth sticking it out). One-time "lifers" no longer feel a sense of loyalty to their company the way they used to.
It is also a much larger company now, so decisions are made slower, with little input from the frontline ee, and with little thought about how it might impact them. It's about doing what's best for business, which would be ok if you didn't build a brand all about taking care of people first and business second. It feels very much like any other corporation in America now - which is to say it's still ok for most people, but not special - if you were lucky enough to work at the company prior to the merger.
They continue to acquire more companies while still working out major parts of the original merger. People have been switched to different teams unexpectedly, or given more and more work as their talented, overworked colleagues leave, and without as much as a thank you or significant raise (most receive 2-4% + small bonus, despite the Sales team hitting record numbers). Instead, they're told "if it's not for you, you can leave." Yes, that's true but it's a far cry from the old talks of "we are family" and real feelings of your company is your extended family who has your back at every turn. The icing on the cake: we bought the company that does the Fortune rankings at a time when it felt like we could drop many spots on the list (at the time of the merger, one company ranked #2 and the other #52...and the #52 company leadership team is now leading the charge.)
If you're early in your career or on the way out, then UKG might be for you. If you keep your head down, you should do ok, but don't expect much in terms of career development. You have to build your own way up and hope your manager supports you. While the benefits are good, they're not as unique as they were pre-pademic; and most positions are underpaid (market value) because the benefits are supposed to make up for it. Which is the perfect metaphor for everything that has happened here since Feb. 2020.
A "new" CEO is about to start (current president and longtime leadership from #52 company). They promise some changes for the better, but only time will tell.