Netflix has lifted the lid on how they decide which people to hire and who to keep - and it has a lot of people divided.
The streaming platform has arguably one of the biggest catalog of shows and movies compared with its competitors, and as of 2023, it employed approximately 13,000 workers.
This number is over double what was recorded in 2017 as the firm has continued to grow into a giant of its industry.
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This isn’t the first time Netflix has sparked debate online after they tightened their restrictions, meaning that one account couldn’t be shared with more than one household.
And now, people have been shocked to find out just how the company’s hiring and firing process works for its thousands of employees.
Netflix revealed that they have four core principles that they say keeps up a culture of excellence.
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These principles are The Dream Team, People over Process, Uncomfortably Exciting and Great and Always Better.
And it’s the first point that has people talking, as there is one unusual and controversial method the streaming platform uses to determine whether an employee can keep their job with the Dream Team.
Known as the ‘keeper test’, Netflix asks staff members things like, “if X wanted to leave, would I fight to keep them?” Or “knowing everything I know today, would I hire X again?”
They say that if the answer is no then they believe it’s fairer to everyone to part ways quickly.
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On their website, Netflix said: “In the abstract, the keeper test can sound scary. In reality, we encourage everyone to speak to their managers about what’s going well and what’s not on a regular basis. This helps avoid surprises.
“Managers also evaluate team members on their whole record, rather than focusing on the mistakes or bets that didn’t pay off. On the Dream Team, you need people who challenge the status quo and try new things. So we stick with employees through short-term bumps.”
They go on to say that - no matter how brilliant someone may be - there’s “no place in our Dream Team for people who don’t treat their colleagues with decency and respect. When you have talented people who work well together — trusting each other’s intentions and respecting their differences — it makes everyone more successful.”
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Reacting to the company policy on Reddit, one user wrote: “Oh wow, having read that it seems like the company culture would reek of toxicity and company politics.”
Meanwhile, a second disagreed, saying: “How is that toxic? That sounds like every single company, potentially without a severance package. Why would a company fight to keep an employee they don't love?”
And a third claimed: “FYI - the woman who came up with the "keep test" was let go because of it.....”
We don’t know if that bold claim is actually true, but it looks like Netflix employees might be kept on their toes.