Want PTSD - Work for Salesforce - Senior Technical Program Manager Salesforce Employee Review

1.0
Sep 9, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Plush office space Snacks Nice view from the upper floors

Cons

Salesforce is the most toxic organization I have ever worked for, and I've worked for a lot of organizations as both an FTE, contractor, and consultant over the past two decades. Trying to pare down what I want to warn others of is difficult. I'll just bullet it out and you can decide what would wear you down, disrupt your sleep, and leave you paranoid, the most. - 1:1s with senior management where the most hateful things are said about your character, etc., and then afterward, the manager acts as though it never happened. -Pressure to give Salesforce a glowing Glassdoor rating after less than 30 days at the company when you do not know enough to provide an accurate review. - No written reviews, something called a 9 box where management provides their opinion of you and tells you it exists but then says you are never allowed to see it, per H/R. - If you want to apply for an internal position, you must have your manager's permission first. If you tell your manager you want to apply for the role and he/she does not want to lose you, he/she just says, no, you do not have my permission. Game over, you are going no where. - If you are allowed a desk (many have to submit to hoteling and never knowing where they will sit day to day), no personal plants, photos, or non SF toys allowed. They want a uniform look to the desks. -Forced volunteerism, if you do not log your 50 hour minimum of volunteer hours per year, you will be shamed at team meetings. Doesn't matter if you have kids, sick parents, 60 hour work week, whatever, you are expected to make the minimum. -No criticism of Benioff permitted. And don't ever say out loud that you found it disturbing to see a laying on of hands and someone praying over him as though he were a prophet at an internal company meeting. Management will quickly remind you that he is leading the 4th industrial revolution and he is the leading mind of our time. -If you are managing young hourly employees, be prepared to be instructed that you are to tell them they MUST go to team dinners, volunteer events, and SF "fun" activities but this is not work, so they don't get paid. If you push back, you will be reprimanded for "not being Ohana." - Teams are run by popularity. Backstabbing, shaming, and shunning are used to get the teams to stay quiet about how bad things are. People who speak out about behaviors, lack of professionalism, etc. are labeled, "unOhana" and told that they are not acting like family. - When you interview and you take a position, there is ZERO guarantee that the role you interviewed for and were hired for is the role you will be doing. The management opinion is to hire highly qualified people, they will be so grateful to be permitted to work at Salesforce, they will do whatever job we give them. I kid you not, you may have more than a decade of experience, be highly technical, have managed teams, and be hired for a technical role, then be told you are going to do data entry level work and you will be glad you are permitted to be at this company doing that. -If you are uncomfortable participating in some public events, e.g. parades, events, etc., and SF is participating in one, there is incredible pressure to spend your weekend in the parade or event. The expectation is that Salesforce and its needs come first. I cannot stress this enough, you are told that Salesforce is YOUR family and your family comes first. A lack of loyalty to the company will get penalized far more significantly and quicker than complete incompetence, maliciousness, or even harassment. Salesforce demands absolute devotion.

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Salesforce Response
6y
Thank you for your review. What you've described is concerning and not at all what we want to see at Salesforce. Please reach out to your Employee Success Business Partner to discuss your concerns so we can learn more. If you don't feel comfortable doing that, please reach out anonymously to our third party provider Ethicspoint at http://www.salesforce.ethicspoint.com/. We would like to address what you raised here as soon as possible.

Explore other reviews about Salesforce

4.0
Jul 9, 2014
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I've spent over 8 years with Salesforce in various management and individual contributor roles, all customer or partner facing. Some of the pros: - vibrant, fast paced culture - smart, fun, aggressive colleagues - management is focused on latest tech trends and staying or becoming a leader for many of them - by and large, customers and partners are very positive about the technology - good benefits and perqs - hip urban culture at HQ - a chart-your-own-course mentality that rewards those who aggressively seek out the job they want and pursue it, or sometimes even create it

Cons

After my long tenure and many Dreamforce conferences, I'm nearly fried. To say the culture is fast paced and the focus is always changing is an understatement. The reason Salesforce always seems on top, and chasing the latest trend, and in the press, is because employees are expected to run harder, carry more, cheer loudly, and pivot constantly. It's the world's biggest startup in behavior. But at the same time, with the recent influx of top career sales leaders from Oracle and what appears to be a board-level mandate for doubling revenue, employees are being asked to do even more with even less, fill higher quotas with smaller territories, less help, and the big company bureaucracy is rearing it's ugly head. Worse still is the politics. When you hire a bunch of smart, aggressive people, and put them in an environment of outsized expectations, throw in a bunch of re-orgs and changing management, and sprinkle with uncertainty and constantly changing priorities, you inevitably get people back stabbing each other and throwing others under the bus to appear smarter and more worthy of promotion. The few at the top will get very, very rich. The rest will lose the sense of personal ownership and start to wonder why they've given up health and family

782
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Salesforce Response
1y
It's not often that you get the opportunity to respond to a review 10 years in but your comprehensive and thoughtful review has managed to hold on as one of our most popular even a decade in :) It’s exciting to see that the things we love most about the Salesforce of today — super smart colleagues, being at the forefront of tech trends and establishing ourselves as leaders in the space, great benefits and perks to name a few — haven’t changed in the past 10 years. We acknowledge the challenges you faced, such as the pace, shifting priorities, and internal politics. Your advice on maintaining our foundational vision while avoiding big-company bureaucracy is helpful as we continue to grow as the #1 AI CRM. Salesforce is committed to balancing growth with employee well-being and staying true to our core values. We appreciate your insights and dedication over the years. Thanks again for your feedback!
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