It's a little bit hard to explain and you sort of need to experience it firsthand to really get it, but you will always be treated somewhat like a child by leadership while working here. No, they won't literally put you in a playpen (even though the campus is literally a whimsical wonderland), but there is this pervasive mistrust of rank-and-file employees that permeates every part of working at Epic. It's unusual given the highly sensitive and critical data from top healthcare systems around the world that we are responsible for managing securely every day.
Leadership's perception of you as childlike puts a cap on your own career growth at Epic. It systemically pushes those with sycophantic endearment towards Epic's "culture" to the front of the line as contenders for managerial positions. Don't like this process? Think we could really push for change here? Too bad. If it's not blessed from up on high, it's not happening. Only if you fall in line, will you ever be seen as management material. The effects of this ripple far beyond those looking to be a part of management. Your direct reports, or even your direct report's report's report, will never be the true decision makers. When you're discussing grievances of the company with them, they can just transfer any and all blame to the nebulous "upper management". And they'll be right —they have no real power. They got there and will only remain there because of their firm allegiance to leadership's line. In all likelihood, they're more scared of leadership than you because they have further to fall with no more to stand on.
Not to say that there aren't good TLs, but it can be the luck of the draw. I have become friends with all of my TLs and genuinely enjoy working and socializing with them. My friends haven't been so fortunate. Either way, they're just your managers because they're in the same role as you and are good rule followers. There is nothing expected from them as far as the art of managing people goes. This is an issue that clearly starts from the top with Judy's leeriness and open mockery of MBAs. Managing people well is a skill in its own right and cannot be done by just anyone who happens to have the same role.
Another example of Epic's unspoken mistrust is their Work From Home policy. Epic generally does not allow WFH as their policy. This is an irrational choice because, from the experience of my team, people are more productive with remote flexibility that can be used when needed. The convenience that comes from the ability to quickly engage with someone virtually by jumping on a Teams call, supercharged the collaboration of our team. Our productivity and collaboration during the pandemic far surpassed past anything that existed simply from being within the physical confines of an office.
Nevertheless, all right—it's a company policy and you can learn to accept it. However, the extent of their reverence at the altar of WFW reveals a frightening obsession. As an employee who enjoys what they do and collaborating with their coworkers, I'm actively engaged with my customers and team via modern technologies like Outlook or Teams. It is honestly a little detrimental to the work-life balance separation of your personal and work life, so I'll admit it's not for everyone, but I honestly enjoy being engaged and available to support. With that dedication to the role, you would think that Epic would be fine if you got up a bit late one day (maybe just before 9) and needed to take a few Zoom calls with customers before venturing over to the office around 10-11, right? No, it's not okay with them at all. In fact, they have systems in place that will actively track where you are logging in from on your work laptop and at what time. They use this data to enforce their belief that it is a sin to ever work outside of the hallowed property of Epic's campus and to ensure that you know you're being watched by a centralized team. You must be in your office chair, or at least within their campus, from 9 am to 5 pm lest they "catch you" trying to serve your clients from a mile down the street at home.
The social atmosphere is great amongst new hires who are usually the same age and fresh out of college. However, this quickly dissipates as many within your hiring class leave within a year or so. Before 2 years, only 2 out of 9 us (including me) from my hiring class were left.
While having your own office may be a perk to some, it actually helps contribute to this anti-social atmosphere at Epic. This is a an extreme and tragic example, but it speaks to the reality of Epic's workplace environment. Someone on our team died and didn't show up to work for a number of days, yet no one realized for days.
The anti-social atmosphere also exacerbate new hires feeling overwhelmed and like they're on their own to sink or swim when starting out. My advice to fend this off is find a group of friends early on and frequently connect with them, your mentor, and TL in a genuine, friendly manner. Really try to get to know them personally and work will be so much better as you'll feel much better supported.
There are not many opportunities for innovation and growth within the company itself beyond what's been charted out for you already. It gets stale and boring after you get over the initial learning curve and the rush of excitement from learning new things slows to a trickle. This might actually appeal to some people who really treasure stability. It's respectable if you want a job that you can go through the motions, follow all the rules exactly as prescribed, go home with a check simply to support your lifestyle, and forget about it all until the next day. However, as with most large corporations, it's not a place for go-getters who are looking to innovate and take things in new, better directions. If that's you, get your experience and get out.
