Unfortunately, the organization suffers from systemic leadership and cultural issues that create a toxic environment, particularly for people in management roles.
As a people manager, I experienced a dysfunctional “sandwich” dynamic that made the role unsustainable. Transparency and alignment were often lacking, while escalation and back-channel communication were implicitly enabled, undermining accountability and clear ownership. This significantly undermined the effectiveness of management roles.
More broadly, leadership communication was frequently reactive rather than constructive, with limited effort to clarify misunderstandings or foster psychological safety. This created an environment where open discussion and healthy challenge were discouraged.
I also observed repeated instances of unprofessional conduct across teams, including inappropriate internal communication that was later removed. Collaboration across teams was often strained, with unresolved tensions and poor alignment impacting trust and effectiveness.
HR was not perceived as a safe or neutral escalation path, which reinforced silence and internal politics rather than constructive conflict resolution. No one should have to experience this kind of treatment in a professional environment.