Family business to stay around 2-3 years - Economist FocusEconomics Employee Review

2.0
16 Sept 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

As an undergraduate or graduate in Economics is a great place to continue learning macro and international economics. Steep learning curve at the beginning, but flattens quickly once you get the basic understanding of the processes. Management is approchable and organisation is flat. Exposure to international media and interviews in relevant finance/Econ newspapers. Small office with just the necessary equipment to start working. Company provides coffee, kitchen appliances and once-a-week snacks and biscuits. The company is located in the center of Barcelona, which makes it very well connected and comfortable. Staff and colleagues are amicable and the atmosphere is young and vibrant. Staff is 50/50 women and man.

Cons

Low salary for the average in Barcelona (not to mention Europe). Lack of career plan and incentives for employees (excluding business development). Unexistent development plan for employees (no courses, conferences, further learning or e-learning). No formal Human Resources department in place to resolve career plan, disputes, resources, vacations, sick days, etc. Lack of clarity of how the business is going. Although management presents mid-year and full-year results to all departments (followed by a nice dinner), there is a lack of colour for revenue growth and business health. Lack of innovation and weak (rather poor) in project management/development. Final decision-maker is the Managing Director, who happens to be the owner of the company as well, which makes company's governance weak, rather poor.

Explore other reviews about FocusEconomics

2.0
22 Dec 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The colleagues are lovely, they truly are the best that Focus has.

Cons

Management is horrendous, there's no clear direction. Most of management has continuously discouraged any interesting development that the production team could be involved in, always shutting down suggestions even when the team had time and when the suggestions would have been beneficial for the company. They have actively said they are manipulative and they don't want to listen to anything that goes against their beliefs. Focus doesn't value their employees, and they promise growth but then they exclusively want production unit employees to be pressing buttons and only work on very routine tasks, which ends up burning people out quite fast. They do not pay well and have no intention of doing so, even when people go above and beyond. The only great thing they had was working from home with extreme flexibility, and they are taking that away by making people go to the office twice a week, with no replacement of the benefits that were lost. Run away if you can, this job is not worth the trouble.

1
3.0
13 Aug 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Working remotely at that time.

Cons

Salaries and group dynamics. People seemed frustrated.

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