Salesforce’s profit rise clashes with staff discontent
CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES — While Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff credits the company’s “performance culture” for its enhanced profitability, the strategy triggered opposing views within its workforce.
Salesforce recently raised its adjusted operating margin guidance for the fiscal year 2024 to 28%, showing considerable progress toward exceeding 30% in the next two years.
Benioff and Salesforce COO Brian Milham praised the company’s “performance culture” for its positive results, with the quarter’s revenue reaching $8.25 billion.
However, with its intensified focus on metrics and an accelerated performance-improvement plan, this performance culture raised concerns among Salesforce employees.
Some employees chafed at the idea of a “performance culture” at Salesforce, adding that an increased focus on metrics and an accelerated performance-improvement-plan process, combined with the rolling layoffs in the first half of the year, have decimated morale at the company.
Despite employee discontent, the emphasis on performance is unlikely to ease.
Executives noted that customer spending on the company’s software and services continues to be scrutinized closely following a pandemic-fueled boom.
