A failing business with 0 trust in execs - Anonymous employee 2U Employee Review

1.0
Apr 1, 2020
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good health insurance. Lots of snacks

Cons

We had a meeting awhile ago and the CEO tells us I. All is fine II. Everything the news says is fake III. CEO starts singing ghostbusters to us Then immediately says that we'll have to make tough decisions about office closures (please see anyone complaining about the toronto office) We don't want to hear that, we don't want to hear you sing ghostbusters, are you kidding me? When you are the only one that is saying that the whole world is crazy, maybe you're the crazy one. You fall 9 times out 10? You need to reevaluate the way that you're walking because something is not right. This didn't give out full performance based bonuses (which is illegal for those that hit their goals. We worked hard for that). Many of us needed those bonuses so we could afford to leave and start looking for another job. They don't hire/promote within. They hire people that don't even know the curriculum or the job they are doing so then the people (please realize i'm saying people not person this is an organization issue) that do know it, have to pick up the slack until it becomes a daily part of their job or tasks. This either shows 1. They don't trust their employees to do it, or 2. They don't prepare or train their employees to starting taking on the responsibility. Post coronavirus Just had a meeting where they said: I. Raise freeze (even though it's already three months into the year, and they will not provide retroactive raises) II. Promotion freeze III. Stock was the highest it's been in a year this past month IV. But we are asking you to step up and take additional responsibilities, and maybe in 4-7 months you'll look good for a promotion but again the problem is they don't promote from within.

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2U Response
6y
We appreciate your feedback. At 2U, we are proud of our people-first culture and the importance of having candid, honest, and open conversations about the business. We’re disappointed to hear that you don’t feel this at this time. In just weeks, the Coronavirus pandemic has reshaped the way the world lives, works, and learns. These are trying times for all of us. Across our business, we’ve needed to take critical steps to ensure the safety and job security of our employees, as well as the continuity and delivery of our offerings. While it’s never easy to make these decisions, like most businesses we have responsibility to be cautious with our investments while we evaluate the long-term impact of the pandemic. That being said, we're confident that the actions we’re taking will allow us to best serve our university partners, students and employees during this challenging time while creating a far-stronger 2U. Helping you grow within your career is very important to us. We encourage you to talk with your manager and request constructive feedback and a plan outlining what you need to accomplish in order to position yourself for the next step in your career at 2U. They can also explain our corporate bonus plan, which in 2019 was based on company performance targets, not individual ones. Overall, your insights are valuable to understanding what’s most important to our employees. If you would like to discuss further, please reach out to your HR business partner or email feedback@2U.com and reference “my Glassdoor review.”

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Pros

Coworkers across the org were amazing people at all levels. Years ago it was a very rewarding and special place to work.

Cons

Senior management (SVP and up and especially C-suite) is disconnected, lackluster, and has no plan other than to milk the company for whatever is left while they boast about how incredibly intelligent they are. The company went from a great culture (in spite of horrendous DEI policies between 2020-2024 that drove a wedge between employees who had differing points of view) to a cultureless hellscape where layoffs or fear of them were constant and brain drain was the norm as anyone who could leave did. Now a conga line of executives jump on board for ridiculous salaries as they make senseless course corrections while disregarding the advice of the few fantastic VPs and directors who remain- belittling them on calls and ignoring their expertise in front of their subordinates. Soon after their plans fail, they leave- much richer and with much more to boast about on their resumes as compensation declines and workloads for the lower level employees increase in their wake. In most cases, total compensation was reduced by nearly 25% a year for multiple years in a row since 2020 through loss of stock options, ESPP, and bonuses while layoffs contributed to a dramatic shift of workloads to some departments and employees.

3
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