Strong Benefits & Work-Life Balance But Work is Second to Politics - Product Manager ATB Financial Employee Review

Weak Leadership & Lack of Clear Direction Due to rapid internal promotions, many people leaders lack the necessary experience to provide strong guidance. Leadership tends to be vague in its direction, avoiding clear decisions, which creates a culture of ambiguity. Strategic plans and individual OKRs are deliberately vague, providing a cushion for executive bonuses rather than driving meaningful outcomes. Insular Thinking Many leaders at ATB have been with the company for a long time, which can limit fresh perspectives on where the industry is truly heading. While ATB promotes itself as innovative, its approach remains quite traditional, with little emphasis on diversifying beyond legacy ways of thinking. Turbulent Leadership & Constant Reorganizations Senior leadership and organizational structures change almost annually, creating ongoing instability. Each restructure is followed by a six-month period where employees struggle to understand their new roles and ways of working—resulting in stalled progress. Just as momentum starts to build, the cycle repeats. In my experience, this happened five times over eight years - and is often accompanied with layoffs. Senior leaders rarely stay in one role for long, leaving teams in a constant state of adjustment and uncertainty. Gossip Culture & Office Politics Frequent layoffs and a lack of clarity around roles and expectations have led to the formation of cliques. Many meetings revolve around discussing people and roles rather than actual projects, creating a work environment that prioritizes perception over performance. There is often more effort put into making things look good for executives rather than delivering high-quality outcomes. This culture fosters discomfort, discouraging employees from bringing their whole selves to work unless they are willing to engage in office politics.