Unsafe, toxic environment - Consultant GLEAC Employee Review

1.0
Nov 10, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

None- cannot think of anything

Cons

The product is ok, there is no business model. High attrition rate and the CEO says the organisation is not for everyone but only for people who can work in a fast paced environment. But that isn't true. The organisation is only for people who can say Yes to the CEO. There are no clients for the product and non-existent sales team, the CEO goes behind whatever is in trend and it feels like a scam. Red flag 1- No onboarding or structure to the organisation, and this isn't a place born yesterday. Any new employee is expected to turn around their non-existent business model from day 0. No expectation setting but one is expected to read the CEOs mind and work? Everything goes according to her whims and fancy if one doesn't comply, they are deemed inefficient. Red flag 2- Number of women who quit is very high. The CEO parades this and vocally says that women don't thrive in her organorganization! Without an ounce of reflection. The tech team has only men and that too South Asian (India and Pak only) and they do not have to work closely with the founder+ they are not too committed or passionate so they manage. But other departments which are predominantly women work closely with the CEO and it is impossible to "thrive"because she is always micromanaging and bullying. It shows that women are smarter and are aware to step aside from toxic workplaces. Red flag 3- this place is unsafe. There are coaching sessions and team sessions with a "coach" in which case studies are discussed but these aren't fictional but are stories of actual employees and what the CEO thinks as misgivings of that employee. These are discussed as case studies with names changed. It is trauma inducing and makes one feel psychologically unsafe. And also a high violation of privacy because the "coach" to whom one says things in confidence basically broadcasts everything to the founder, this is just another way to micromanage people and in the most inhuman way. The office chat channel is a place for CEO to constantly bully, give feedback in public forums and throw tantrums. Many reviews here would attest this. If one doesn't say yes or sing praises, they don't have a place. 70% of time will go in managing CEO tantrums or internal politics and it is draining. But this is projected as inefficiency of employees. The CEO is always talking about feedback and says nothing is personal but cannot take any feedback. The founder is also casually racist and says stuff like Indians do not know English grammar but talks about being inclusive. Each employee especially women are treated like a project that needs fixing and it breaks their confidence but it is considered weak and as a matter of pride that women can't thrive at Gleac. They also do not pay salaries on time, this again is a red flag. The founder talks about the sacrifices they do to run the company and employees are made to feel guilty for asking what they deserve, this is very toxic. Please do your research before taking up a role and talk to ex employees especially women, for each one has a horrendous story to narrate.

avatar
GLEAC Response
3y
We began consciously this year hiring mid-level women in career transitions ( for some we are their 3rd job in 10 months since they cannot find their pace and place) paying them equally to male qualified counterparts and monthly salaries more than they have ever made in their entire careers. We gave 3 months of personal coaching to help build their confidence and deal with personal issues that surfaced immediately, close mentoring from the founder and access to her inner networks, and also mentoring with industry experts from the mentor community to champion their success. We removed all metrics the first 3 months to ensure we upskilled them just enough to fit into the job and release any identities from other lives to match to the opportunity afforded to them. It's interesting to see their first 3 months public rave reviews about the opportunities, learning and networks afforded to them. Then when the novelty of all the excess attention shifted to a focus now on performance to meet the metrics they signed off on for the job just as the male employees, the founder, the coaches, the management and the mentors all seem to be in conspiracy against them and they became the victims. Clearly we failed at this truly intentional goodfaith attempt to empower women. And as such hiring practices moving forward will need to change for female career shifters who do not have the skills at the forefront for the job. All being said and despite the personal attacks on the Founder who took their development and success personally and as such the anger expressed is towards her for not being part of her inner circle any longer, we and she do not regret for one second giving these women a chance to thrive even though we failed at it. For all the women, final performance reviews all happened the month of March and November with the understanding changes being made to roles and responsibilities will be made to now match actual skills as as such the backlash . It was not received well back earlier this year and again we have it again with the women running away and quitting the job the week or two before the formal reviews and us finding their backlash here. It's a pattern we cannot ignore. We are doing something wrong for sure.

Explore other reviews about GLEAC

5.0
Sep 24, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

GLEAC is a fast-paced innovative company using block chain technology and AI to transform expert as a service in the market. We have built a strong mentor community unlike any other expert network in the market place. I enjoyed working in a start-up environment which gives me first-hand experience to learn about emerging technologies and uplevel my skillsets in many aspects of the business. We have a very supportive team, and it is fulfilling to see the massive growth trajectory with the team.

Cons

In a start up environment esp in Edu tech, business landscape is changing rapidly. It is critical to be ready to roll your sleeves and add value every single day. This require someone has the ability to learn quickly and open to feedback to learn and grow as the company scale.

avatar
GLEAC Response
2y
We loved having you with us
1.0
Mar 8, 2024
Anonymous contractor
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I am not sure as it was the worst experience I ever had with an employer.

Cons

CEO does not follow through on promises and went months without paying and had no regard for the staff's lives when it came to getting payment and salaries. She sent me a very emotionally manipulative and toxic email that belittled the work that I did even though I offered more than what was asked of me without any compensation entirely. The CEO seemed great at first due to her charisma but over time was met with disrespect and lack of care as if I was a robot. In the end, I received a hurtful and rude email that put me down and degraded the work that I did. She claims to empower women, but this experience was the very opposite of that. I think the other 55 1-star comments can say the rest.

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