Few opportunities for advancement, hostile work environment - Marketing SolarWinds Employee Review

1.0
1 Aug 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Catered lunches, onsite gym, onsite cafeteria and coffee shop, beautiful new facilities.

Cons

Biggest problem: little to no promotion from within. Frequent turnover because of nowhere to go, cultural fit and lowball starting salaries. Several people I knew in the company moved backwards in their careers (lessened responsibility, lessened influence, and assigned to less complex and engaging work) through reorganizations of the department. Reorganization is frequent. It's one thing to be willing to change, but it feels as if the company is disorganized and has no sense of direction. Taking the initiative to get things done is almost discouraged due to the highly compartmentalized nature of the marketing department, yet the frequent shuffling or roles often makes it difficult to find the appropriate person who owns a task. Marketing in particular is extremely cliquish, as another review stated. There is an exclusionary attitude towards members of the company who don't fit a certain image. What is said to a person's face and what is said when they are not around are often two very different things. Marketing relies too heavily on email (which its audience sees as spam) and is resistant to change their approach to fit the needs of sales or engineering. SolarWinds' technical staff is highly intelligent and a joy to work with, yet they often dread working with marketing. You are expected to be online or reachable at almost all hours of the day, and vacation/family/emergency time is not respected. If you wait to check email when you get to work after time off, regardless of why, you are behind. There is no semblance of work/life balance, especially outside of the VP level. Lowest-level employees are slammed with work with too few thanks or opportunities to grow beyond their usual responsibilities. There are many managers and not enough ways to be promoted into or above that role. Those who leave because they want more time for their personal life get framed in a negative light: "they couldn't keep up with the pace." That pace is unsustainable for a person with a family or other responsibilities outside of work, especially given the low pay and rare opportunities for career growth. A geek would feel unwelcome here. That is a huge problem when you work in tech.

Explore other reviews about SolarWinds

5.0
19 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Stimulating work, great people, nice office space with good amenities, good work life balance and flexibility on in-office time, competitive compensation

Cons

siloed org which is very standard for this industry

4.0
10 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Amazing office space in Charlotte with a strong emphasis on work-life balance. There are plenty of social events and networking opportunities that help employees stay engaged and build relationships across different business units. The recent IT reorganization has created a unique opportunity to participate in system and process design initiatives. While this level of change and transformation may not appeal to everyone, it offers valuable experience for those who enjoy shaping new processes and driving organizational improvements. I am optimistic about the direction of the organization and confident in the vision and leadership of the new IT management team.

Cons

Career advancement opportunities can sometimes feel limited within a satellite office environment, and promotion paths are not always clearly defined. Employees seeking long-term growth may benefit from having proactive career development conversations with leadership. The recent IT reorganization has introduced a period of transition, resulting in some uncertainty and lower morale across parts of the organization. The department is currently in a rebuilding phase, and new employees should expect to contribute to the implementation of new processes, systems, and ways of working. Compensation appears to be somewhat below market rates for certain roles, which may be a consideration for candidates prioritizing salary growth.

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All