2y
Thank you for sharing your experience at Slide UX. We're always looking for ways to improve.
We're glad to hear you valued the exposure to a diverse range of projects and working alongside C-level executives and other talented UXers. We value remote work and our close-knit team, and we’re glad you appreciated them too.
Many companies in tech experienced a slow year last year, and Slide UX was no exception. It was difficult to navigate after a history of continuous growth, especially at a time when our team was so strong. We combined a lot of things to make it work, including leadership pay cuts and a temporary pause on raises and learning budgets in order to keep the team intact at full salaries for as long as possible. We're grateful that, as the market has rebounded, we have been able to reinstate those programs. Although ebbs and flows are a part of business, we're highly motivated to establish a more consistent project pipelines to ease future market fluctuations.
It's also true that our current time-tracking system is more granular than at some other places. This system helps us to plan accurately, which is important; protecting Sliders' work/life balance is a priority. It also helps us set accurate client expectations. Still, trust and autonomy are important, and we don't want the team to feel stifled by too much oversight. We're on the lookout for ways to support accurate planning without adding unnecessary stress. This may be as simple as ensuring that on the rare occasion that questions do arise about time spent, managers communicate those questions with care. I'm sorry if any Slider has experienced any occasion when that was not the case.
Finally, we take your feedback about transparency seriously. We've always tried to keep Sliders informed about what's going on. In our quarterly business reviews (QBRs), we share the firm's revenue, expenses, profit figures, and strategic plans. We celebrate wins and reflect on challenges. Similarly, we seek out honest feedback from the team through surveys, one-on-ones, skip-level meetings, and more.
Last year, as we delivered bad financial news in our QBRs, we also expressed optimism. That optimism was authentic, but in the end, we found that it was also premature. This may have seemed like a lack of transparency, and I’m sorry for that. We were hopeful, but we fell short of our projections.
As we reflect on the past 12 years, we feel a huge debt of gratitude to all of the talented people who have come through our doors. We've learned from each person, and we miss the people who are no longer with us. We're also very proud of many former Sliders for the things they have gone on to accomplish.
Thank you once again for your feedback. If you're open to further conversation, you already know where to reach us. Reach out to Erin (erin@slideux.com) or Tom (tom@slideux.com). We'd appreciate the chance to go deeper into anything you experienced during your time with Slide UX.
Wishing you all the best,
Erin Young
Founder & Principal
Slide UX