Labforward has recently had layoffs due to financial concerns, which I understand can be necessary in some situations but how they were handled and the communication of them were very poor. The next round of people who were fired for poor performance were publicly announced in a company-wide Slack channel without any respect or dignity for the people being let go, and no doubt the next round’s we all know are coming soon will be just as bad. When a senior member of management was fired late last year this was also announced in a company wide meeting, where he was then subjected to a humiliating Q&A session where we were given step by step of all the reasons that led management to come to the decision to remove him from his position. This pattern of shaming people on their way out the door is very concerning and is not only embarrassing for the person leaving, but can be damaging for their future career prospects as it would prevent colleagues recommending them to friends they know are hiring. During a meeting updating everyone about the company's status, some employees asked if there would be any efforts to diversify in management. The CEO responded that he was sick of being asked this question and hoped it would not be brought up again. In reality, the teams are diverse at lower levels, but where it really counts, in management, there are only white men. I feel that this disregard for the importance of diversity has a massive impact on the perspectives and ideas in decision-making and is a direct contributor to the lack of more creative and innovative strategies being implemented. Another area this impacts is the company culture. Despite positive comments clearly being left by management to discredit the negative ones coming in, it is clear that they have no respect for their employees. Feedback is frequently ignored, even when it comes from those doing the work day-to-day, who can provide valuable insight. Instead, there is an ever-changing strategy that is never clearly communicated. It often seems that management is not even sure what they want. Overall, it is not a comfortable environment to work in. It’s clear the management has no idea how to handle the situation they have created and so it’s clear more layoffs or firings are coming in the next weeks/months, and everyone is conscious of this, creating a culture of finger-pointing and blaming. I strongly advise anyone considering working here to think twice and prioritize their mental health.
