- Salesforce just shared results of its annual employee survey internally.
- The survey received responses from 57,000 employees and gauges general sentiment.
- Employees responded most favorably to questions about ethics and least favorably about retention and job security.
Salesforce just shared the results of an employee survey in which 57,000 employees participated, the first such survey released after the company started mass layoffs earlier this year.
The results show employees feel generally good about Salesforce when it comes to to the company’s ethics, and generally concerned about retaining talented employees, their future at Salesforce, and how leadership decisions adhere to the company’s core values.
“The survey results, taken as a whole, paint a pretty clear picture of frustration, distrust, and disconnect,” one employee wrote in reaction to the results in an internal Slack message seen by Insider.
Another wrote, “I guess my grievance is that this is a harsh reality of where we are today, and I long for the days when this wasn’t our reality.” And still another shared in that Slack discussion, “While the results are abysmal, I do feel slightly better that so many folks feel the same way.”
A Salesforce spokesperson confirmed the data to Insider and said, “Thanks to our employees, we’ve made tremendous progress on our company transformation. An important part of this is the employee feedback we receive, which helps us continuously shape our culture. It also helps guide where we need to take action and highlights areas of strength where we need to continue to invest.”
The results reflect a rough year for the workers at Salesforce. As we previously reported, co-CEO Bret Taylor resigned after what was described to us as a “showdown” kicking off an executive exodus. After Salesforce missed internal sales goals, according to documents viewed by Insider, activist investors entered the picture, pushing drastic cost-cutting measures. In January, Salesforce began layoffs of 10% of its workforce. The company has since had two exceptionally good quarters and CEO Marc Benioff is touting a “performance culture” that brought profits closer to what the activist investors want. He has also revamped its executive bench.
Here are the highlights, according to the survey results viewed by Insider:
Questions with the most favorable responses:
- I do NOT feel pressured by my manager to engage in unethical behavior: 97% favorable responses
- If I observe misconduct at Salesforce or have ethical concerns, I will report it: 95% favorable responses
- I know how to use our reporting channels to report ethical concerns or misconduct at Salesforce: 92% favorable responses
Questions with the least favorable responses:
- Salesforce does a good job retaining its most talented people: 34% favorable responses
- I feel secure in my long-term future with Salesforce: 37% favorable responses
- Senior leadership’s decisions are consistent with our core values: 49% favorable responses
- There is a climate of trust at Salesforce: 50% favorable responses, and the survey notes that this is a “significant” downward change from last year.
- At Salesforce, we are running the business effectively, even with more focus on activities to drive change: 56% favorable responses
The “significant trend down”
The following questions all scored fairly well but the survey noted that they were a “significant trend down” from their previous scores. Salesforce’s spokesperson said questions marked “significant trend down” were differentiated by between two and six points, and many responses were still overwhelmingly favorable.
- My manager promotes an inclusive work environment: 89% favorable responses
- My manager focuses on results while caring for the wellbeing of everyone on the team: 88% favorable responses
- I am willing to give extra to get the job done: 88%
- Over the past 12 months, I have NOT observed unethical behavior or business misconduct at Salesforce: 87% favorable responses
- My manager keeps our team focused and moving: 87% favorable responses
Salesforce’s head of HR Brent Hyder addressed the results to the troops in on Slack, writing, “The Executive Leadership Team, along with your leaders, are committed to providing clarity, stability, and healing to move us forward and build our culture to be stronger than ever. And while hard work is already underway, there’s more to come. Your leaders are all in on this – they’re focused on inspiring you with strategy, building greater trust and connection, simplifying how you work, and aligning career and rewards. It’s our hope that you’ll see and feel our commitment in every experience you have here as an employee.”
Are you a tech-industry employee or do you have insight to share? Contact Ashley Stewart via the encrypted messaging app Signal (+1-425-344-8242) or email ([email protected]).
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