Ever since Boeing put Esina Alic on board as our CEO last year, the morale and culture at this company feels like it is at an all-time-low. Understanding that there is always an ebb and flow when it comes to employee satisfaction - but the overwhelming consensus among employees, both newer and more senior (worked for 3+ CEOs), is that this period of time is the worst we've ever seen morale at Insitu.
The working environment has become quite frustrating and the observation of leadership teams & individual contributors being chastised by the CEO unfortunately has become the new norm. The CEO also conveys a considerable amount of conflicting direction to individuals & teams, as well as conflicting messaging to the company as a whole. What prompted this review was the most recent All-Employee meeting she spent several minutes on a slide to convey a "strict no retaliation policy" in place to encourage employees to speak up when they see something wrong. But then concluded the meeting lashing out at employees saying "I see these 1 star reviews on social media (Glassdoor), I don't understand it. If you don't like working here, then GO! LEAVE! Find a company that you would consider a 5 star company".
This not only is a conflicting message, but it's very difficult to work for or feel supported by a company that has a CEO comfortable standing in front of everyone and stating "if you don't like it here, there's the door".
The company itself is clearly in its awkward growing phase. We are not quite a start-up anymore and not yet the Boeing company so there appears to be lots of kinks that are still being worked out. Some of the comments about an alarming amount of unclear processes and procedures is certainly true. But from what I can see, it is a recognized area of concern and there are teams attempting to streamline and make these better.
Where this becomes increasingly difficult, is essential talent is leaving the company because they are unhappy, and we are being told that we cannot back fill their roles. Yet are expected to produce the same amount of high standard work. Essentially what we have now is people shifting to lead roles/programs they have no background in with no training liaison.
But an overarching theme that is an important consideration when signing up to work for Insitu, is you'd be living in the Gorge. Yes the Gorge is an awesome place to live and work. But it is also an area that is built on second (or third) home communities and tourism. In fact, the Columbia River Gorge has one of the highest discrepancy between median income & median housing pricing in the country. The point here being, there are limited for work options in the area.
Insitu appears to capitalize on this fact. If you are a family, rooted in the area, then you are less likely to physically leave and find a different job. Therefore, they don't have to compensate you in title or pay as much as they competitively would on an open job market. This has manifested itself in employee morale and people feel cornered and stuck. Employees have to work, to continue providing for their families, because there is nowhere else in the area that pays as much as Insitu. But, unless you are a middle-aged white male with a military background, there is also limited opportunity for growth at Insitu.
So for the CEO to stand in front of the entire company preaching "if you don't like it here, then leave" not only feels disconnected from the cultural pulse of the employee population, but also how out of touch regarding the nature of working in the Gorge. It has employees feeling broken, angry and stuck. Which is the most disheartening way to wake up and come to work every day.
