High concentration of workplace psychopaths—especially from the Director level up. These are narcissistic people who have no regard for others, and no moral compunction about destroying the reputation or career of those they view as threats (people with actual talent, for instance).
In this, they have the help of an HR system that reinforces the passive-aggressive culture and works like the modern version of a witch trial. No evidence required, no consequences for false reports, anonymous. So no one trusts anyone, and people generally avoid forming friendships. I have known several colleagues, male and female, who have fallen victim to this. One female coworker shared her experience: “This is what MasterCard does—they want to break you, make you compliant, control through fear.”
If that sounds cynical, realize that in a true meritocracy, those who achieve power through lies and manipulation can’t compete fairly. And to maintain that control they need lieutenants who play the same game.
The annual bonus structure places an undue emphasis on quick wins, at the expense of long term operational health or capability maturity, and this manifests itself in a high level of customer dissatisfaction. It also leads internally to scapegoating of teams that are working on long term improvements, and frequent interference from glory seekers looking to claim any improvements as their own, for sake of a bonus.
The glory seeking psychopaths have work-life balance—they spend their days sending emails, demanding meetings, and inventing crises. The producers do not—they get to spend their days in meetings and their nights and weekends working.
Because of the company’s wealth, there are also a high percentage of chair-warmers, who do just enough to keep from getting fired, and who sabotage any innovation that would require them to build their skills.
If you enjoy your work, and you like to be a hands-on person doing new and exciting things, avoid this place like the Plague.
