Significant management changes saw the departure of an engaging, inspiring leader who had worked hard to create a strong sense of community and a group goal of achieving innovative, high-quality results. He was replaced with a group of eloquent speakers with an aspirational message, who at times bit off more than the staff could collectively chew.
In an effort to exponentially grow the business, work-life balance got lost. Seriously lost. Employees were expected to work all hours of the day and though encouraged to "think outside the box," the slightest deviation from the company line could - and likely would - land you on management's suspicion radar.
The result was a toxic environment where people lost the ability to trust each other. It is difficult to collaborate with colleagues when you don't know if they're going to backstab you or criticize your work to advance themselves.
Particularly at the end of the month (as has been stated in other reviews), but in truth as an overall business model, managers and directors care only about meeting short-term productivity goals but not longer-term concerns like meeting customer expectations and retaining good employees that will help sustain long-run productivity.
New management took a political stance for operations; promotions were given to manager and customer favorites without any eye toward people who actually work the hardest and/or the most. Operations manager seemed uninterested in developing resources/talent and focused instead on criticizing employees, cultivating mistrust, and pitting people against one another.
As the business grew, the business model was constantly in flux but nobody seemed to have any information about long-term goals; it felt like sailing on a rudderless ship. When change did occur, communication often felt like an afterthought, and operational changes were instituted without input or feedback from individuals who would actually USE the processes being changed.
Employee turnover - voluntary and involuntary - became a problem, both for production and for morale, as there was sometimes no communication about someone's departure... and nobody to take over the missing person's work load. Additional work load and productivity expectations did not come with any increase in pay.
Advancing without an advanced degree is difficult. You have to be a lawyer or a management favorite if you expect to get anywhere.