Canstar Reviews

Pros

Canstar is very flexible with hours, work from home and time off as I experienced in my position. The culture is social - there are lots of morning teas, nibbles, arvo drinks, etc. and it makes for a casual, friendly environment. There are lots of perks like subsidised massages and they're always coming up with new employee incentives and addressing things like pay and more hard benefits. I reported to really good people...

Cons

I don't agree with previous posts about a boys club or the comments about the executive team. There are a lot of really influential female and male leaders within the business and the staff is split equally.

Advice to Management

I have let management know any issues I experienced and they've always been super understanding and supportive. If you go to them directly with challenges, they really are an open book.

Pros

Free breakfast and people are friendly for the most part. The office spaces are nice even though they get noisy. There is a team to blame most of the time but if its not the most likeable person complaining no one does anything to stop it. I reckon everything will go well for you if you keep your head down and get through until you can get a good job. Don't let the great place to work ads fool you.

Cons

No real potential for career progression Low pay Low-intellect micromanagers No real training or development unless your a graduate in finance Incompetent digital Everyone sticks to their own teams and complains about the others Outlook doesn't look good

Advice to Management

What's the point? You have no idea what is going on.

Pros

For the most part I enjoyed my time here. The work and major projects are, for the most part, interesting. The people you work with will become your friends and there is a lively atmosphere with something always going on, so socially you are never bored. Most (Stress, most) people are easy to get along with and collegiate, making cross-team cohesion good. The office spaces are bright, comfortable and clean, and...

Cons

Employer 1: Are there any genuine promotion opportunities or staff retention efforts? The turnover rate seems kinda high. Canstar: Did you say ‘free pizza’? Employer 2: What about a good paternity leave policy? Canstar: There are ‘subsidised’ massages Employer 3: I want to negotiate my salary without it being a painstaking process Canstar: Be quiet and eat your Birthday Morning Tea sausage roll Employer 4:...

Advice to Management

Ask yourselves why turnover rate is so high, it's incredible. The free food and other fringe 'benefits' only go so far with employee satisfaction

Pros

There are great immediate benefits for employees - free breakfast, half price massages, fresh fruit, birthday leave and being allowed to take a longer lunch break to go to the gym. Every new employee attends an induction day to learn about other areas of the business and also a "New Starters Lunch"with other new starters and with the executives. A monthly staff update is held (with pizza) where different areas of the...

Cons

While there are policies in place these are rarely enforced and there are no consequences for poor behavour especially if you are lower in the pecking order than the person behaving poorly. Having previously worked at a large company where all employees were held accountable for their behaviour, regardless of position or salary, so it is hard to accept it at Canstar. I don't agree with the previous reviews in regards...

Advice to Management

Continue to develop staff but also don't be afraid to enforce policies. Make sure everyone is treated with the same level of respect and is held to accountability for their behaviour.

Pros

I enjoyed my time at Canstar and it had the usual pieces of office politics and things that are difficult, but it was no more than most other work places. The company is going well and growing but has a few problems associated with that. All in all it's a pretty decent place to work. There's a lot of bad reviews on here that essentially come from losers and freaks who are bitter at their employer, but take no responsibility...

Cons

Biggest con is because the company is growing so rapidly its culture is changing, and arguably becoming less collegiate. In terms of salaries, which will never compete with the big end of town, some honesty would probably be valued. Instead of putting out pseudo-benefits like free food, and filling up LinkedIn posts with posts full of sycophants, just be honest and tell people they just are not worth above market wages...

Pros

Canstar has a positive and personal culture. Nearly all employees are friendly and encouraging. Canstar also has plenty of little perks that make work fun, such as birthday morning teas, celebratory lunches and cheap massages. Canstar also offers a great work-life balance and is usually pretty flexible with alternative working arrangements.

Cons

The remuneration is unimpressive and there is no real possibility of career progression. The company is disorganised and lacks foresight - as an example, employees are currently spread across two neighbouring buildings after we ran out of room in our first building. The small business culture at Canstar is also rapidly declining and there is an air of elitism, particularly among executives.

Advice to Management

Management should realise that while the little perks are nice, they are relatively superficial if employees don't feel respected in other regards, particularly remuneration and promotion opportunity.

Pros

Free breakfast, established company and strong branding in the industry will provide the opportunity to further your career, coworkers were pleasant and helpful

Cons

Outdated time consuming processes are a hindrance to progressing work efficiently, uncompensated long working hours, employees are promoted based on tenure, not talent, boys’ club culture, nonexistent HR

Advice to Management

Your employees are your best brand ambassadors. Bad word of mouth marketing spreads like wildfire.

Pros

Rapid growth means work is interesting and constantly changing. Many great people and a lot of responsibility given quickly to people in all roles

Cons

Salaries are in general well below the market, although HR claim to peg to industry. This impacts the morale of the team and the quality of people in other roles across the company. You get what you pay for. Under resourced teams across the business mean a lot of extra hours worked regularly. Burn out is common and so is the blame game where the obvious reasons for turnover like bullying by sales staff and some managers/execs...

Advice to Management

Be honest and upfront about salaries in job ads and interviews to minimise frustration and distrust. Treat people with respect regardless of their gender and ego. Stop valuing the opinion of only those with overinflated egos (team commercial). Replace the sales team with people who care beyond themselves and their money. You have potential to become a great place to work if you recognise the greatness of your people doing...