I have never witnessed such a stark double standard in a workplace until joining Neuron7. The HR department and management operate on a "good book, bad book" system, which makes the culture incredibly toxic and demoralizing.
There is a clear and obvious discrimination between employees who are "liked" and those who are not. If you are in the good books of HR and management, you are essentially untouchable. These favored employees blatantly disregard company policy—specifically the hybrid work model—without any consequences. They can remain offline on MS Teams for hours, or simply not show up, and not a single person in leadership asks a question.
The hard reality of this company is that if management and HR like you, you can stay here forever without any competency, skills, or knowledge. Actual talent and hard work mean nothing. The only thing that matters is whose good side you are on. I have seen completely incompetent people being protected and promoted simply because they are in the "good book," while skilled professionals are cornered.
However, if you are not in their favor, the experience is the complete opposite. HR and the management favorites use company policy as a weapon to settle their personal scores. They micromanage your online status, question your hybrid attendance, and create a hostile environment and make your life difficult. It is not about policy adherence; it is about a group of people using company policy to crush those they personally dislike, and management blindly trusts everything these favorites say.
This extreme level of discrimination is not just limited to daily operations; it bleeds directly into the appraisal cycle. If you are in the "out-group," no matter how hard you work, your ratings and compensation will suffer because the system is rigged to favor their personal favorites.