Staff promotions are often based on tenure rather than merit, leading to senior positions being filled by individuals who may lack the necessary skills, empathy, or compassion. This often results in unrealistic expectations, where you're pushed to consistently exceed your pace by 110%, with a focus solely on delivering results.
Performance reviews are conducted in a manner that forces employees into a bell curve, where most are rated as average, regardless of their actual performance. This system often overlooks truly skilled team members, promoting others without merit and without accountability. Meanwhile, those who are talented but don't align with the company's culture are suppressed and overlooked.
The culture encourages conformity—if you challenge the status quo, you're likely to face consequences. Those who excel in this environment do so by conforming without question. The dismissal of good employees leaves the remaining team members in shock, yet the relentless pace continues, creating an unsustainable work environment.
Different teams may offer varied experiences, but my time here left me and many others feeling demotivated. We were often treated as unskilled workers by senior engineering managers who acted as the ruling elite. The culture becomes increasingly ruthless at higher levels, culminating in a CEO who, while generous, embodies this ruthlessness.
My years at Checkout.com forced me to re-evaluate my life choices, and I doubt I would invest so heavily in a similar environment again.
On a positive note, Ott made significant contributions by introducing good standards and practices across teams. I wish the best of luck to his successor.
