I'm going to be as objective as I can here. Based on the recent negative reviews, it looks like more of the more accurate or objective reality about working here is starting to appear on this site. Additional evidence is the drop in Glassdoor's rankings from #8 to #99 in just 1 year - from this, one may conclude that either there was major loss of morale over the year or that the years of high ranking were just a fluke and painted an inaccurate picture. I will say that internally, at least in my department, there is pretty much a unanimous understanding that all the "Great Place to Work" boasting is nothing but propoganda and I have yet to meet anyone who actually feels that way about WWT. In fact, more than one colleague has expressed to me that had they known the truth about this place, they would never have decided to join. I also feel this way and am currently seeking employment elsewhere.
So, as a word of caution to prospective employees, if you have been led to believe (through the Great Place to Work accolades, etc.) that WWT is inherently a superior workplace or something of a holy grail when it comes to employers, I have been in those same shoes and will say that those rose-colored glasses will inevitably come off and you may or may not like what you see when that happens. In my short time here, at least 5 of the best and brightest engineers in the department have voluntarily left. A common thread was that they tended to also be the genuinely nice and agreeable ones. Most of who remain are the opposite. With regards to THE PATH and the No Bad Managers policy, it has been surprising to see that the seemingly straightforward values outlined could be made so open to interpretation by managers especially; words like trust, humility, and integrity seem to mean something different to them than the dictionary definitions, and not in a good way.
As history shows, dissenting reviews on this site and more culture policies from HR, although well-intentioned, will not produce meaningful change. So, my only purpose is that those considering employment at WWT will take the hype with a grain of salt and understand that this really is just another workplace- nepotism, politics, behind-closed-doors plotting, favoritism, bad managers, etc. are at WWT just like everywhere else. The major difference is the unbelievable efforts it has taken to accentuate/exaggerate the positive.
