Simply saying "we're a family" doesn’t make it true, "Show, don’t tell"
Gut am Arbeitgeber finde ich
- People are nice, and I never had any issue in terms of behavior
- I like the technical challenges and the fact that you can see your impact in the product
- Career growth
Schlecht am Arbeitgeber finde ich
- Communication is a huge problem
- Lack of soft skills between leaders/managers/principles
- Transparency and clarity
Verbesserungsvorschläge
- Simply saying "we're a family" doesn’t make it true, actions do. If you're proud of your principles, then lead by example and live them. "Show, don’t tell" isn’t just a value; it should be a practice.
- Communication is a key. As far as felt, that's a real issue across the company because people were complaining from different teams.
- That's my friendly advice: People trust you, so you have to also trust people and be more transparent.
Arbeitsatmosphäre
The team was generally friendly, and the environment felt dynamic. However, the pressure to constantly deliver and the lack of psychological safety made it difficult to feel truly comfortable long-term.
Image
The company maintains a very strong external image and brand.
Work-Life-Balance
Working hours were flexible on paper, but the pressure to deliver, and communication issues often blurred the line between work and personal time.
Karriere/Weiterbildung
There was strong support for learning and growth. I had access to budgets for courses and conferences, and internal knowledge-sharing was encouraged. This created a culture of continuous improvement.
Gehalt/Benefits
The remote work policy is a benefit and much appreciated. However, salary progression requires significant self-advocacy, and you have to really fight for a salary raise, and there’s a noticeable lack of transparency around bonuses. Bonuses appear to be given selectively, without a clear or communicated structure. Despite working at the company for a considerable time, I was never made aware that a bonus program even existed.
Umwelt-/Sozialbewusstsein
The company tries to maintain a socially responsible image and makes some effort toward sustainability. Still, there’s room to make these values more integrated into day-to-day operations rather than just part of external messaging.
Kollegenzusammenhalt
Most colleagues were supportive and collaborative, and there was a strong peer network. Unfortunately, the high-pressure culture occasionally led to internal competition or a lack of trust.
Umgang mit älteren Kollegen
There was clear respect and collaboration across age groups. Experience was appreciated, and team members of all ages were treated with equal professionalism.
Vorgesetztenverhalten
Once you were no longer useful, support was quickly withdrawn.
Arbeitsbedingungen
The tools and physical working environment (even in remote settings) were generally solid.
Kommunikation
Communication was one of the biggest challenges, not only between teams and squads, but also across the company. I think the reason is, "principles" and "team leaders" are more technical than they are knowledgeable about management and leadership. In fact, there is a huge lack of soft skills.
Gleichberechtigung
The company genuinely values diversity and provides equal opportunities in most cases. However, sometimes internal promotions or recognition seemed to depend more on visibility than merit, which could unintentionally create inequality.
Interessante Aufgaben
The work was exciting and intellectually stimulating. I had the opportunity to work on real problems with real impact, and that was definitely a highlight.
Arbeitgeber-Kommentar
Dear ex-epilot,
thank you for taking the time to share such detailed feedback about your experience at epilot. We're glad to see your positive ratings in several areas, particularly regarding the technical challenges, career development opportunities, and our work atmosphere created thanks to the people working here.
Your constructive feedback about communication challenges and leadership development is valuable. Your points about improving transparency and enhancing soft skills among leadership are well-taken.
One part I want to address, which you highlighted in the review's title, is that we are claiming to be a "family". But by no means we want to claim that "we're a family". While this sounds great in the first place, this would also go hand-in-hand with the “responsibilities” we have within a family. We rather see ourselves as an ambitious sports team. I totally agree that we are more than usual colleagues. Especially as part of the People & Culture team, I am proud having brought together so many talented and great individuals from all over the world. Matching everyone's expectations is definitely a tough mission. While we always strive for the best, we sometimes fail, but we want to learn and improve.
We're particularly mindful of your observations regarding work-life balance and the pressure to deliver. While we strive to maintain flexibility, we understand the importance of establishing clearer boundaries.
Thank you again for your feedback. Your insights help us build a better workplace.
I would be glad to talk to you about how we can further improve.
Best regards,
Eka