Pros
-Friendly coworkers. From the stories I heard management takes harassment and other bad behavior seriously and fires those people. I made some really good friends here, which was hands down the best part. -You’re working for a good cause, though it rarely feels like that. -Casual dress code -They’re very flexible about hours. That said, there are no sick days, only generic PTO, so don’t get sick or you don’t get to take a vacation. You get 2 weeks PTO, 3 when you reach DA III. I still used most of mine up on doctor visits. -The stress is low (as long as you don’t get promoted to DA III), the hours are flexible and the coworkers are nice. Just leave before you get too senior.
Cons
-THE CONSTANT MICROMANAGING. All the reviews that mention this are talking about the same person. There are two different managers you might end up working for, with completely opposite management styles. The micromanager only recently allowed DMs access to certain modules in Medidata Rave that makes our jobs so much easier. There’s a lot of gatekeeping of knowledge and then simultaneously expecting you to know how everything works. It’s clear management doesn’t trust lower-level employees, which means managers are constantly overworked and DMs I, II and III sometimes don’t have enough to do to fill up a day. If you’re a DM I or II and don’t have to interact directly with the micromanager, you can get along just fine, but if you have to interact with this person regularly, it can be incredibly stressful. And there’s no one to go to in order to address concerns about how to be more productive—this company isn’t interested in changing with the times. When we were in the office, there were emails sent about talking too loud in the office, gathering in groups to chat, a small drawing of a cat left on a whiteboard and keeping lunch breaks to a strict 30 min. We aren’t children, and being social is part of working in an office, especially when the people are the only incentive to go in to said office. If they don’t want us using each other as a support system, make it so we don’t need to. Other examples include: - Keeping a detailed daily work log - 3 or 4 different spreadsheets to update anytime you do anything - Vague instruction, unknown deadlines, unclear next steps, conflicting information from different people - Being asked to do things you don’t know how to do and criticized when you find a way to do it without training or helpful answers from the boss - Having to clear everything you do with the boss - Constant changes to procedures - Having to do things that aren’t in the job description -Management has combed through my emails to find anything I might have been doing “wrong”, from using slightly incorrect language so as not to confuse someone unfamiliar with the difference, to not wanting to give out my personal cell phone for work calls. -All the micromanaging and criticizing leads to feeling demotivated and disengaged. -No psychological safety to voice concerns -Insufficient training. I was never given clear training with my most recent promotion on what my new responsibilities were and how to perform them. I have only received one performance review in 3 years of working here. -Very high turnover. -Boring, monotonous work. Beware repetitive use injuries. -Sometimes the sites we have to contact are incredibly rude, unprofessional or downright abusive and nobody stands up for you, you just have to grin and bear it. You’re basically a customer service rep for angry nurses. -Benefits have been getting better since I started (adding work from home for everyone and tuition assistance), but still not much incentive. They required us all to come back to work once a week during the fall of 2021 when Covid was still a concern, but didn’t do anything to incentivize us—no making sure each team is there at the same time or anything. It’s just going and sitting in the office alone when I could be sitting in my home doing the same thing. -There’s no understanding that people work differently, you’re all just treated like clones. There’s no appreciation for each person’s unique skills and abilities and personalities. -There are no professional development opportunities or enrichment opportunities to make the work meaningful and reduce stress. The only wellness resource is a small, windowless “Wellness room” that nobody uses. -Open office plan means constant interruptions and management looking over my shoulder -Promotions are only given whenever there is an opening when someone higher up leaves, which isn’t too common given most of the turnover is at the low levels. I was promoted twice with no warning. The second time I didn’t even want the extra responsibilities, but there’s no way to negotiate. -Unless you like boring work, 3 years is too long to work here. I stayed that long because of COVID and spent my last year counting down the days until I could give notice. There is no room for growth or learning unless you’re really into designing forms or data science. -Management is not transparent and you don’t get a say in their decisions. It seems very disorganized. Only rarely do they send out surveys to get our input. They definitely don’t trust or value DMs. -They no longer allow lateral hiring between departments, meaning they have to constantly train new people for other departments and DMs leave more often.