Mixed Feelings About What This Company Has Become
Pros
The benefits package is solid, health care coverage is comprehensive, and trail days (getting outside during work hours) are genuinely great for work-life balance. The core product is still strong, and there are incredibly talented people doing meaningful work. The mission itself remains important. When you're working directly on projects that help people connect with nature and the outdoors, that feels good.
Cons
Nepotism and favoritism run deep. Career advancement has little to do with performance, experience, or capability. I watched friends hire their best friends and promote them over team members with significantly more experience and proven track records. Unless you're the director's favorite or part of their inner circle, there's no clear career path. Talented, hardworking people hit invisible ceilings while less experienced (but well-connected) colleagues leapfrog ahead. "Unlimited PTO" is misleading. It's marketed as a benefit, but in practice, you're only allowed to take a certain amount before facing pushback or being made to feel guilty. The lack of transparency around what's actually acceptable makes people take less time off, not more. It feels like a cost-saving tactic disguised as a perk. Lack of recognition for extra work. Many of us worked across multiple functions, wearing hats far beyond our job descriptions, without recognition, compensation adjustments, or even acknowledgment. You're expected to do whatever needs doing, but don't expect that effort to be valued come review time. Talented people disappearing without explanation. The most disheartening part has been watching incredibly capable colleagues suddenly vanish. Layoffs happen without warning, without the opportunity to say goodbye to team members, and without any real explanation. One day someone's there, the next they're gone. It creates a culture of anxiety and mistrust. Performance reviews lack integrity. Mid-year and end-of-year reviews feel like theater. Directors influence (or outright dictate) what you write in your self-assessment and how you grade your team members. What should be confidential feedback becomes a manipulation tool. It's not about honest performance evaluation, it's about protecting certain people and creating paper trails for others. Mission has been corrupted. The saddest part is watching a mission-driven company lose its soul. Leadership decisions increasingly prioritize making money at any cost over the values that made this company special. Employees who genuinely care about the mission are treated as disposable, while those who play politics thrive. The gap between what the company says it stands for and how it actually operates has become impossible to ignore. No real opportunity for growth. Unless you're in the favored circle, there's no meaningful path forward. Professional development is talked about but not invested in. Promotions are political, not merit-based.
