The company culture is inconsistent at best. As a whole, the company lacks strong cultural values and operates in different ways based on the team or function. The culture in the field-facing corporate support functions (the lens through which this review is being written) is especially poor.
Too much bureaucracy and lack of trust in employees (even the top performers). Executives at the VP and SVP-level insisted on reviewing and weighing in on everything, making it impossible build strong decision quality in lower-level leaders, move quickly, or introduce new ways of getting work done. There is no room to make mistakes and learn from them because every move you make (even sending an email to a VP or above) is reviewed and scrutinized by at least one person.
The lack of trust in employees, even top performers, is stifling, leaving them frustrated with their, leaders, teammates, and the company as a whole, all of which fosters a dog-eat-dog way of working together. I understand that being fiscally conservative is part of the Ross-way, but never allowing your employees to stretch and learn for fear of making a mistake will never breed a culture strong, independent employees that are proud to work for Ross.
This culture of negativity permeates into how recognition and promotions are handled. One may receive a great annual review, but promotion continues to be an invisible moving target, especially for those that want to innovate, elevate, and challenge "the way we've always done it." Favoritism is noted and the number of disgruntled employees that are too scared to speak up for fear of retaliation is growing, as is the turnover rate. Unfortunately, VP and above leaders perpetuate this cycle with a lack of compassion or interest in fostering a healthy, collaborative team environment.
It's truly a shame because so many talented and passionate (and compassionate) people roll through this company. Unfortunately, these attitudes aren't welcomed and when these great employees and leaders move on, the story becomes "they just weren't the right fit" instead of looking introspectively to understand the root of the issue is poor leadership.
