Welcome to the boy’s club! Where misogyny and ineffective leadership run rampant - Anonymous Passport Employee Review

Are you a male? Have you worked in finance? Do you have a degree from an Ivy League school? Or have worked at a prestigious company that carries a lot of clout?  If you answered yes to one or more of those questions, great! You will be immediately viewed as an intelligent, capable human, and there will be little question of the validity of your contributions. If you answered no to all of the above, whomp whomp. Better luck next time. You’ll constantly be trying to prove yourself with little to no success, even if you are the best at your specialty. The is a slight exception when you are an attractive woman (locker room talk is real, y’all) or if you’re old enough to be their mother. Then, the respect meter increases, but only just a tad. Yet, those old enough to be their mother, who do have a seat at the table, oftentimes become yes women and don’t advocate for their teams. The other option is to pacify the boy’s clubs need for validation and compromise your voice to give them what they want to hear. Then, you have a seat at the table. But imagine it’s a tiny, plastic, uncomfortable one that can shatter at any second when a male’s ego is threatened. And there’s still a hierarchy even within the males. More bro = more better. But, let’s continue. When I first started at this company, I had high hopes: The culture appeared to be diverse and inclusive (a dedicated D&I impact team checked that box) they seemed to value employees based on their company values (People First being a core tenant), and on paper, their strategy was innovative and next gen. Now, it’s not to say the company didn’t start with the best intentions - I truly believe they did. However, pressure to perform and a toxic boy’s club culture has substantially shifted the Passport experience. Let me clarify- there are good people. Those referenced in the cons are also not bad people, just people who need to grow and learn what it’s like for those they interact with. Who need to hear the unfiltered truth. Who need to self-reflect and most importantly of all, adjust their behavior. Details you say? Let’s dive in. While the CEO has a futuristic vision, it is scattered, like a squirrel going after shiny things. Yes, “the only constant is change.” But prioritization efforts have to be established and reestablished on a weekly basis because nothing is upheld, leading us to work in circles around each other. Next, we move onto women in leadership who are tokenized at every major company meeting to insist there is diversity in leadership. However, they are the epitome of what I described above as having a seat at the boy’s table, not advocating for their teams, and are 'yes women.' One woman’s business conduct behind the scenes has been absolutely appalling - firing people because of petty female drama and keeping men who have CLEARLY violated moral and ethical bounds regarding interoffice relationships because of her own personal relationship to them. Those who lead the charge for product and business development strategy had little to no experience in the field, solely chosen based off of personal relationships. They continue to fail to deliver, but again nothing is done because, nah man, you’re my bro. A lot of progress made toward achieving goals set are accomplished by their subordinates overworking themselves, day and night, not because those leading are providing effective strategy. The dev career path is limiting. Extraversion/ "culture fit" (lol) is rewarded, with no path for those who want to be specialists rather than people managers. Unless you’re a bro who asks for a favor. The amount of external consultants they have to hire to drive strategy is troubling to say the least - 1, because leadership is unsure of their strategy, and 2, because they need external consultants to validate what those not in the boy’s club have already expressed time and time again. There have also been repeated reports!!! Of a long-term consultant speaking down to employees (especially female) in ways that would give your grandmother a heart attack, completing lacking any emotional intelligence, but nothing is done. Because he has tremendous influence with buyers. SHAME ON YOU. All this to say, the latest Diversity and Inclusion efforts, while I applaud allocating resources toward, are incredibly performative and check-boxing. While yes, we need to acknowledge the universal drivers that affect race, Passport’s issue isn’t that they don’t listen to or accept those of a different race. They just don’t value anyone who doesn’t come from a privileged existence. Or more specifically, doesn’t mold themselves into what a popular, charismatic, jock, financially-driven-above-all-else, archetype looks like. Again, unless you have a prestigious degree or company on your resume. And no, I'm not a disgruntled employee. Just one willing to illuminate what many of us think but don't say. I hope this inspires you to Do Better. Be Better. Because people will keep leaving if you don't, myself included.