I witnessed middle management positions given to individuals that knew the hiring manager, these roles were not advertised or considered as promotions to anyone else. Those given these positions did not appear to have interviewed for their roles. When I joined I had multiple interview stages, along with a presentation and received my position based on that. I noticed that others did not have to go through this same process. I am certain it has a negative impact on anyone from any form of diverse background progressing. For an organisation that seemed to try hard at a macro level, to improve on these practices, the actual decisions and action were the opposite. This appeared to be a company that wanted to be better but did not have the team in place able to deliver. A finance driven company that values reporting and box ticking much higher than fresh entrepreneurial talent, with minimal autonomy for sales people. A lack of passion and open debate, allowing people to make robust decisions in an exciting environment, led to boredom. Aspiring talent would likely get lost in this organisation and even made to feel incompetent. I witnessed some great people move onto bigger and better positions externally, it was a fantastic business to learn the value of making sure you recruit the right people as managers. Directors are far removed from the day to day, I expect they have no idea what is going on.
