However, over the last year, there have been marked and concerning changes in the company. What was once an enjoyable and productive work environment has become a
Kafkaësque bureaucracy. Whereas good ideas and reasonable arguments once reigned supreme, now dissent is unwelcome,
leadership is based on authority and power, and appearances are to be kept up regardless the cost.
The culture has spiraled into turmoil. Rumors constantly circulate about concern over the company health and directions. Management's authoritative stance has made it difficult to share any opinion that is opposing their pinhole view. Employees who've been here for years and new, have left. Turnover is at an all-time high; with no real HR to manage the culture, employees and company professionally. A surprise layoff in Q2 of 2016 that let go over 10% of the company due to lack of fundraising, has left a bad taste and a wake-up call in most employees. It was severely mishandled by an inexperienced HR department and worse, poorly communicated to the company. Ever since, it has created a ripple effect that we are finally seeing to its full effects today. We have lost over 15 of our best developers. Head of Departments are demoted and key Department Heads critical to the product have left. 3 new executives were hired/replaced. Our CEO has "voluntarily" stepped down and has been replaced. On average about 3-4 people have left every month since the layoff.
Employees who voiced their concern were seen as problematic or "job hoppers" looking to leave the company or poison the culture. When in reality, they were based upon genuine concern for the interests of all of us involved: To convey how deeply concerned some employees were with the direction that the company is headed. As someone who joined during much better times, I had hoped to foster discussions regarding better tools and languages, reducing tech debt, employing better hiring practices and having higher standards for developers, and better planning and communication protocols to voice such concerns in a non-hostile environment to Management and HR. Micro-aggressions and unprofessionalism is a theme that's common (confirming the other reviews that's mentioned it).
I'm writing this to give a steed warning to potential new employees (especially for those in non-dev roles; highest turnover there). Symphony is not the same company as it once was. Do your research on the turnover. Why have so many people left? It is indeed normal to have employees leave; but read the other reviews. Reach out to past employees and get an honest review (steer clear of the positive ones posted on here, HR has asked employees to leave 5-star ratings to weed out the honest negative ones). Be aware of the red flags. The managers and employees themselves aren't the problem; it's management. If it's too good to be true, it probably is.
