Everyone is hired as a contractor. Contractors are given the promise of eventually becoming a permanent employee, but no one ever gets promoted. As a contractor you get no benefits. Contractors used to have the benefit of getting paid for holidays, but no longer. Contractors are promised raises, but a contractor has yet to receive a raise.
As a contractor, you're employed at AutoNation through a staffing agency. The staffing agency provides health insurance, but the plan is so bad it's barely worth paying for. The staffing agency itself is poorly organized. Contacting them to resolve issues with your paycheck is a frustrating experience.
The job description for a UX/UI Designer at AutoNation is misleading. You're not working with the latest tools. Everyone must design with Photoshop. They do not see the value in using the latest design tools and they're reluctant to embrace the latest technology and trends.
If you've ever worked as a contractor, you know that contractors are treated a little differently than permanent employees. But in AutoNation's UX team, contractors are treated very differently. They did not like contractors going out to lunch together in a group, so individual lunch times were assigned so that everyone goes to lunch separately. Permanent employees get new equipment while contractors need to bring in their own laptops. If a contractor turns in their two weeks notice, they're terminated at the end of the day.
The difference is clear between how the UX team is managed compared to how other teams are managed. UX contractors get reprimanded if they talk too much, while neighboring teams talk all morning or afternoon without any repercussions. Contractors in other teams get promoted to permanent after 90 days (the normal routine in most companies), while UX contractors never get promoted. On the work day before a holiday or special event, the office floor will nearly be empty as other teams have left early, yet all UX contractors are still present being required to continue working.
With the way contractors are treated, they are clearly viewed as replaceable. As a result, the UX team has a high turnover rate. Management has little to no interest in employee retention.
