Pros
Guild's mission is novel and easy to get behind. They do a phenomenal job at making sure team members know how impactful the work is through sharing member stories. The benefits are thoughtful and the compensation is fair based on the current market. It is fully remote with no requirement to work on-site which is great! Most team members are incredibly genuine and supportive, even though we have never met in person!
Cons
Micromanagement and Reactive Leadership The leadership style of our senior leaders was characterized by micromanagement and reactive decision-making, creating a fear-based environment. Public discussions about putting leaders on performance improvement plans happened regularly fostering a punitive atmosphere and discouraging open communication and innovation. Poor Handling of Feedback Feedback was often met with deflection and minimization. Concerns were often questioned instead of addressed, making team members feel unheard and dismissed. The sudden termination of team members raised serious concerns about the organization's commitment to a safe and open environment. Minimizing Concerns and Lack of Accountability Senior Leaders frequently minimized genuine concerns and failed to take accountability. They dismissed specific examples of the lack of psychological safety, showing an unwillingness to address core issues and take corrective action, undermining trust and seriousness. Defending Potentially Harmful Behavior: There was a tendency to justify or defend behaviors that negatively impacted the team. Downplaying the negative impact of certain messages discouraged open communication and reinforced a culture of fear. High Attrition and Stress: There was a tendency from a particular senior leader to play favorites and invest only in some team members while targeting others. The stressful environment led to significant attrition among the leadership team, with several leaders leaving abruptly without giving any notice due to the stress of being targeted, further destabilizing the team. Inadequate HR Support Despite presenting solid evidence to HR regarding these issues, there was no thorough investigation. HR's response was to minimize the experiences rather than address systemic problems, leaving the toxic culture unchecked and unresolved. There was no formal way to measure the success of leaders beyond the associate level. This is problematic because many senior leaders made decisions that ultimately led to long-term struggles within the Member Operations department, but there is no way to hold them accountable. So these issues will persist until these leaders take accountability and work to make things right!