Yes there is an "open door" policy. Regardless, employees who have been working there (the longtime proficient people) are afraid to say anything because no change will come from sticking their necks out for the company's sake.
Employee mentality is not unified with that of the company or upper management because they continually fail at gaining our trust or earning our respect. Upper management would definitely benefit from leadership and public speaking courses. Most of their messages come across as unprofessional, patronizing and/or ignorant regardless of intent.
Managements' response has continually been more of the same - that employees are valued, that promotions will happen in time, and that quality & efficiency are both important.
However what management says isn't evident in practice. Most employees are not only undervalued they are wholly underutilized. On the other hand, you have the few employees who are severely overworked. Job responsibilities and wealth of knowledge are not evenly distributed (there are employees with graduate degrees working side by side with fresh undergraduates). You have employees who remain confused about what association measures are. Aren't we all about turning data into knowledge? Apparently not.
The promotion and "peer-nominated" employee of the month processes are bogus. The VP has clear favorites, shutting out advice from employees who might have valuable insight.
Quality and efficiency are clearly not important because you have employees that are continually able to get away with slacking. What incentive is there to remain competent when the idiot sitting next to you is pulling in the same pitiful salary? Good employees will keep leaving; management should be thankful they had any to begin with.
