Grateful but had to move on..
Pros
I started at Zillow in 2016. Premier Agent Concierge was new and I thought it was innovative. I wasn't thrilled at working in a call center environment but the benefits, pay and people outweighed that. The biggest reason why I stayed at Zillow is because of the top notch benefits and the people. I would say about a third of the managers I had were excellent leaders. They kept me there. They didn't just say they valued my opinions-- their actions SHOWED me they did. Ultimately, Zillow gave me experience in a corporate environment and helped me develop skills that I now use in my dream job. For that, I am grateful!
Cons
The first year in PAC was great. People had their complaints but I realized that every company had their office politics. However, as the company grew FAST-- things changed. Management changed and department moral declined. I would go to all hands meetings and Spencer and Amy would deeply inspire me. Then I would go back to a department that felt so separate from the rest of the company. We weren't included in many functions that the rest of the company participated in. I realize that business needs dictate scheduling but there is always balance. Management spent so much time trying to convince us that we were no different than any other department when they could have exercised humility and OWNED IT. WE WERE DIFFERENT and you know what? That is okay. All I ever wanted was for management to admit that. Also, I understand that mistakes are made in corporate environments. That does not frustrate me. What frustrated me was that genuine apologies were never made, only excuses. I'm fairly confident I will receive a response to this assuring me that "management did admit when they were wrong!" An apology is not "well, you know, possibly the messaging was not the most effective and we are looking into maybe changing this. However, the reason this happened is because we were in a time crunch and we were doing the best we could with the resources we had." An apology does not include excuses. It is simply, "We are sorry for our actions and we will strive to do better." Thankfully, for my last bit of time at ZG-- my team lead kept me engaged. They are the reason I stayed and I am so grateful for their encouragement and effective leadership skills. Additionally, leadership was constantly asking for honesty and feedback. So, in skip levels, occasionally, I would speak up. I learned quickly that this was not effective. Generally, the response from management was: "Thank you so much for sharing! However, do you realize how good you have it here? Most jobs didn't have free food and top notch benefits." I must have heard 10 different versions of that answer. Again, I understand that you cannot just allow people to sit and complain without bringing up possible resolutions. I am not suggesting that managers should sit and allow people to vent without end. If your employees are venting in a kind and professional way, as a leader, you should listen and do your best to help them problem solve without making them feel like their thoughts and ideas are not valid. PAC had so much potential to be an amazing department (even with scheduling differences and limited access to functions and meetings). Unfortunately, during the time of my recent departure moral was continuing to decline. There are great people in PAC. People who care and who lead with kindness and humility. It is my hope that those people will take action and grab hold of the amazing idea that PAC stemmed from. I genuinely believe that the solution to many of the problems here is honesty and a willingness to be humble when you make a mistake.
