Employees of Nvidia corp, led by its billionaire co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang have a high-stress and grueling work environment. This kind of work environment leaves them with little time to enjoy the high pay that graphics chip makers pay them according to their work.
A former employee, who did not wish to be identified was quoted by Bloomberg that working at the California-headquartered company was like being in a "pressure cooker". The man who worked in technical support for enterprise clients at Nvidia and quit in May this year, said he was expected to work seven days a week with no offs, often as late as 1 am or 2 am.
Most of them attend endless meetings, sometimes over 10 a day, with people ending up howling and shouting in there, a former marketing employee was quoted saying. However, what stops them from leaving are the "golden handcuffs," the ex-staffer said.
Despite the company’s toxic work culture, no one is willing to quit the job because of “Golden Handcuffs.”
What are Golden Handcuffs?
Golden handcuffs are the financial incentives given to the employees to discourage them from leaving a company. Employers offer incentives in order to retain the individuals that have performed well for the company or those that have exceptional or irreplaceable skills.
Incentives that can be considered “Golden Handcuffs” are large bonuses, school payments, stock options, and a company car. These incentives come with agreements that stipulate an employee will receive them only after a certain period of employment or they will have to return them if they leave before a certain date.
The woman, a marketing executive who quit job in Nvidia in 2022, said that she tolerated the company's toxic work culture for two years because of the “golden handcuffs”. She reportedly attended as many as seven to ten meetings in a single day.