All talk no action - Anonymous employee AnswerLab Employee Review

Thank you for your review. Several of us worked together to reflect on it, and we felt a lot of sadness, it really sunk in for us that you’ve had a very unhappy experience. Your review prompted a process of going inward to consider how we could ensure nobody has such an experience again, and we’re grateful for that. Although you mention several areas, it sounds like the core of your frustration which many of these issues stem from relates to your experience of AnswerLab’s managers. One thing we wanted to point out is how much we’ve invested in manager development over the past year. We have implemented monthly management training programs, created a talent development framework for people managers, and invested in external training programs. All this is to help new managers of our growing company transition from being brilliant individual contributors as UX researchers, to help them fulfill their career growth aspirations as people managers. It can take time for these programs to shift culture but we are seeing and celebrating all the ways it’s already happening. We want to extend empathy and genuine regret for your experience, and also offer a balancing perspective. Some of your assessments are a bit categorical and don’t reflect the lived experience for most people at AnswerLab. Here are a few that we feel called to provide a clarifying response to: ScheduleIt percentages don’t reflect actual hours worked, and nobody works at the high percentages which sometimes appear on the tool. That’s because ScheduleIt is designed for hour-based scheduling but our team uses it instead to allocate full days, (which get recorded as 24 hours). We’ve provided instructions for researchers to turn off this feature because we don’t use it. Eventually we may switch to a resourcing tool that better reflects the way we want to use it. Many AnswerLabbers from all levels have shared their needs and feedback with leadership using the many pathways we provide. Many of us have contributed ideas for change, and the resulting conversations have started several new initiatives and changed procedures. For instance, many researchers and managers advocated for more flexibility and researcher involvement in scheduling research sessions, which we are very proud that we have now implemented. Also, many people felt it was important to honor AnswerLabbers’ transitions to new opportunities, and AnswerLab returned to acknowledging these via all company email. These are just a few examples. Our capacity model, which is our instrument that ensure we have enough researchers to staff incoming work, is something we are reviewing constantly. It’s complex during this time of incredibly fast growth, to get it right. Although we don’t always get it right, we are certainly focused on ensuring 40 hour work weeks are the norm. Inclusivity of all kinds (race, age, family status, sexual orientation, gender identity) is part of our company’s DNA and we believe especially today it’s important to take a public stand in support of a more just and equitable world. The past 18 months have been difficult for many of us, including everyone working hard to ensure AnswerLab remained a stable business supporting employees and their families. We are proud we were able to retain everyone, increase salaries and build unique pandemic benefits. We believe that our devotion to AnswerLabbers is what has contributed to our 93% retention rate even during this time of transition. We extend you and your loved ones well wishes.