After a lot of consideration and encouragement from others, I’ve decided to come forward with the full story of why I resigned from the Koch Industries tax department after 15 years of employment. My hope is that anyone put in a similar position won’t feel alone and others can feel more empowered to fight for themselves in the future.
In early December of 2020, I was informed that my bonus would be half of what it was the prior year. I was told this had nothing to do with Koch’s performance. I was told this had nothing to do with the tax department’s performance. I was told that this had nothing to do with my work - which was good. The reason my bonus had been halved was because of culture. Specifically, my lack of collaboration, humility and respect. I was stunned. I asked for specific examples of this behavior. None could be provided.
When I finally got my supervisor on the phone, I asked for the examples again. How do I suddenly have a culture problem after 15 years? She started out by telling me that this was “subjective” and “he said she said” and that I needed to change the perception a few individuals had of me. After some pressing and intense conversation, she admitted she knew how hard I had worked, didn’t agree with the decision, and had been overruled.
A few days later, I contacted human resources. They had no knowledge of my culture violations, much less having any documentation. I sent over my resignation that day.
From reading between the lines of what I was told, I believe that this was driven by a few individuals that personally dislike me. Because the culture is so important at Koch, one can cite “culture” when you don’t like someone who is otherwise adding value by giving exaggerations and half-truths as feedback. I’ve had my fair share of personality conflicts throughout my career, but someone using this to affect one’s pay and/or career is completely unethical. Honestly, the tax department is the last place you want to have any type of integrity breach. Note that this is only my opinion.
For those that work at Koch, if you ever find yourself in a toxic situation, go to HR immediately. I really wish I would have. If that doesn’t work, you're probably not in the right spot. Find somewhere that will value you the way you deserve. This may or may not be at Koch.
For all my fellow professionals out there, I do think there are places in Koch with great people that are amazing work opportunities. Five years ago, I really felt like the tax department was one of them. As of 2021, I would not recommend Koch’s tax department, but perhaps they will weed out the politics and turn things around in the next few years. I truly hope that is the case.
