Pros
I met some of the greatest coworkers and built strong relationships with them – after all, we were all going through the same thing. Lots of free parking. Nice place to sit outdoors during lunch in the summer. PTO is okay, but it is accrued slowly. Staff can play soccer, volleyball, and basketball in the summer.
Cons
I am in agreement with most of the negative reviews on this page. Hours: Hours are EXTREMELY strict. If you are scheduled 8-5, you better work 8-5. If you leave even 30 seconds earlier than your scheduled time, your manager receives an email. After 5 times in 30 days of this “violation”, the CEO receives these emails too. If you take too long of a break, or are not logged into the building for at least 8 hours a day, again, an email is sent to your manager and after 5 violations the CEO receives the emails too. Your child is sick and you would like to work from home? Too bad, that’s not an option here. Environment: The environment is horrible. Not only does it feel like -25 degrees Fahrenheit every day, but there is consistent frustration, anger, and sadness lingering in the building. I felt bad for the new staff who heard how dissatisfied and frustrated everyone was, even on their first day. The higher-ups are so discouraging; I’ll get into the specifics on one in particular in a moment. My team and I were not allowed to take lunch at the same time because someone needed to be at the desk clump no matter what from 8-5. If we were all in meetings, we had to send out an email letting certain executives know when we would be back – please note, I was not an executive assistant… my team should not have had to do this. Lunch hours were also very strict – if someone in Personnel caught you taking your break outside of the 11:30AM-1:30PM timeslot, Personnel would alert your manager. Recognition: Staff are acknowledged when they first start which is reflected in a newsletter and on a TV screen when you walk into the building. If you make it to 5 years, you get a plaque. Other than that, there is no employee recognition at the company - you are really only acknowledged if you do something incorrectly. Mary Brown: Mary Brown basically runs the company and has absolutely unrealistic expectations of employees. My department worked with her very closely, and after being screamed at, talked over, and completely disregarded, I decided it was time to leave. One day she tells you “standard” is THIS and the following day the “standard” changes to THAT, and you get screamed at for being wrong. She is never wrong. When she’s happy, it comes off as very fake and is honestly scary. She has not respect for staff and trusts no one. Having her at the company alone is a reason to not accept a job at this company. Management: Managers basically can’t do anything for you. They can put in a good word, but if Mary Brown doesn’t like you, good luck. Salary and Promotions: The pay is horrible. If you even think about asking for a raise, you’re kidding yourself. “Promotions” are now standardized, so to even have a chance at moving up, you have to be in your current position for at LEAST a YEAR – no exceptions. AFTER that, your manager will complete the promotion paperwork if they think you are ready, and after around 2-x months of the document getting approved and sitting on Mary Brown’s desk, you might get a promotion. This company stunts growth. Exit Interview: I showed up to my exit interview and the Director of Personnel looked at me in the office and said, “Oh the person who does exit interviews isn’t here, so *new Personnel reception person* can walk you out. Good luck!”. They aren’t putting any effort into their exit interviews, so clearly they don’t care about why people are leaving. I told my manager when I was leaving what I think the company needs to do to retain their staff and create a healthy environment, but they told me that these issues have been problems since they started (10 years ago…) I could go on, but hopefully you get the picture.
