Pros
I have been reflecting a long time on my review of Color. The last time I submitted a review was in 2019 (was 5 stars), and my how things have changed. I think it is important to note that individual's experiences at Color seem to very much depend on what team they work on. Some employees are onsite, others remote. Some work defined shifts for hourly pay, others are salaried without defined hours. The pros of working at Color are: + Smart, hardworking, egoless colleagues + You will work on timely, impactful problems + The business is doing really well + Teams that are working remotely have adapted well + Strong, smart women in leadership positions
Cons
Some of the negative aspects of working at Color existed before the pandemic, but have just been amplified. Other cons are new. Both are equally impactful to employees. - The company focus can and will change rapidly. The impact of this can range from being mildly annoying to directly impacting your work hours and mental health. - The rationale behind changes is not always clearly communicated, which leads to employee disengagement and confusion. - There is a lack of articulation around a company strategy, which leads to (see next point) - There is a lack of business focus and prioritization (or, if prioritization is happening it is not being communicated effectively). This leads to a massive amount of work to be done in absolutely insane timelines. - Burnout is rampant. Employees have been talking for months about burnout, unclear expectations, and mental health concerns with their managers and HR. It took a public outcry at a company-wide meeting for the problem to be acknowledged, which is unacceptable. Salaried employees, particularly in the product, engineering, and operations organizations are taking month-long mental health breaks. - Executives and management expect the employee to take on the burden of setting boundaries, "letting your manager know when you need a break," and saying no. Addressing the root problem of these issues (which, in my opinion maps up to the lack of an articulated company strategy and prioritization) is not on the table for discussion. - There is a lack of job leveling within organizations, which leads to a lack of clarity around job expectations and advancement opportunities for employees. This felt like less of a problem pre-pandemic, but now that the company size has 4x'd and we are hiring like crazy, this feels like an urgent problem to solve. - There is a lack of regular review cycles. That, coupled with the lack of leveling, makes it difficult to understand your development as employee. - There is a lack of trust between executives and ICs. This comes out in ICs being accused of making things difficult and questioned as to why something takes so much time. - Employees often do not see the success of the business reflected in compensation changes - Outputs are more valued than outcomes.