Where to start after a 4 year nightmare?
Led predominantly by an egocentric boys club, mobility and often even employment at XLS is based largely on who you know, not what you know. Feel free to be creative as long as you agree with upper management and, most importantly, if upper management wants your opinion they will give it to you first.
Compensation is a huge issue, not only because there has been 100% failure over the last several years to modify existing salaries to meet industry standards, but compensation models are unfairly weighted. An incoming employee may have a compensation model that vastly outshines their experienced counterparts within the organization by as much as 50%. The company recognizes the need to bring in talent with fair compensation, but not to reward their existing, skilled employees using the same model.
Departmental silos allow for a tacit approval of political infighting, power struggles and an ego driven polarization of ideals, objectives and methodologies.
Work life balance is frowned upon, no balancing is required if you are fully committed to the 24/7 work schedule that is demanded of you. You WILL work at all hours of the day and night, DO expect work weeks in excess of 100 hours a week to be the rule not the exception, DO expect to be told that you can be easily replaced if you do not like it. As the company continues to right-size its self to greatness this will only get worse.
In a recent employee survey, more than 60% of the company's existing employees said they would leave XLS if they were offered the same position, with the same compensation elsewhere.
