Hypocrisy and Favoritism - Executive Ocean Network Express Employee Review

people are nice and good

salary is a bit low

Hybrid schedule (3 days in office)

Black professionals considering the Richmond, VA office should proceed with caution. There is little to no Black representation in leadership outside of lower-level management, despite qualified internal talent. This directly impacts visibility, advancement, and access to opportunity. HR is not a safe or neutral resource; mentorship and development programs exist largely in name only and are influenced by favoritism rather than merit, including inconsistent access to tools and resources required to perform effectively. Work is frequently minimized publicly while being relied upon privately, creating an environment where competence is exploited rather than developed, and communication is reactive and driven by optics rather than strategy. For Black employees in particular, this creates a high-risk, unsafe environment where merit does not reliably translate to support or growth. The lack of Black representation in leadership is not an oversight, it is a systemic issue. Decisions around hiring, pay, mentorship, and access to tools consistently favor proximity and likability over merit, resulting in underqualified leadership overseeing highly qualified teams. HR’s failure to act as a neutral safeguard reinforces inequity rather than correcting it, leaving Black employees unsupported when concerns arise. Until accountability, equitable resourcing, and merit-based development are treated as priorities rather than optics, this office will continue to lose strong talent and damage its credibility internally and externally. All in all, I would not recommend the Richmond, VA office for Black candidates and would instead suggest the NJ, GA, IL, or CA offices.