Create mediocre experiences - Senior Software Developer iQmetrix Employee Review

2.0
5 May 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great people. Some of the brightest and technically competent people in their respective cities. Quite good work/life balance. Strong bottom line of workers. Office perks that you would expect from most tech companies. No overtime. Good Company Culture.

Cons

Alcohol available 24/7 on the premises has encouraged substance abuse. A blind eye is often turned to alcoholism or other instances of workplace intoxication. No opportunities for growth. Executive leadership has forced the company to stay as flat as possible and has recently attempted to implement a paradigm called "Holocracy". Holocracy effectively eliminates the need for the standard vertical corporate ladder-esque growth. Encourages employees to pick up responsibilities outside of their current domain and maintain ownership of those new responsibilities. Performance reviews are non-existent but with holocracy, performance could be correlated to how much of your "holocracy circle" you are responsible for and if you met those deliverables. No word yet on compensation adjustments for how big or small your circle will be. Hopefully Holocracy fills the middle management vacuum its intended to do. Below average middle management. Team leads chosen on technical ability and not "people skills" which makes it incredibly awkward to talk about... anything really... Non-existent technical leadership. This tech company has now gone on almost half a decade without a Chief Technology Officer. Technical leadership is spread across three individuals in the three development offices and will only ever be involved in a technical discussion if there is a massive problem or a brand new endeavour. Nobody actually knows what they do together but the speculation is that they are more or less product managers with technical ability. They act as the middlemen between the executive and development groups. Missing the mark on every new endeavour Nothing the company has created since its maiden product has been profitable. Poor Communication and Execution between teams. The development process is your typical production environment where projects are handed off when they are complete between teams with very little collaboration between them. When this works it can be efficient. But more often than not it turns into a blame game when one team expects something to work and it doesn't... or expectations are unfulfilled. No-one is willing to accept product ownership. Partially because then you become the target for when the higherups are mad and are looking for someone to be accountable. Or if you become the product owner you arn't actually able to influence the product. You may be strong armed by sales, support, or the executive to doing what they want and not what is best for the product. Or its because no one wants to be responsible for a poorly executed product. It's been brought up before in other reviews but compensation is questionable. It is often below the market average and speculation is because of the "perks" like employee vacations and free fruit.

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iQmetrix Response
9y
Hello there, Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on your time with us at iQmetrix. We take these reviews very seriously and I would like to take this opportunity to address some of the key points you’ve outlined in your review. Alcoholism: Typically, we find our beer on taps listed as a pro! However, we do not take alcoholism lightly in any regard. While we trust our employees as adults, have the proper policies in place for consumption, we still monitor the consumption levels (and times taken) daily in all locations. Where there has ever been a concern, this has immediately been address by someone on our People & Culture team. Growth Opportunities: This is a two-way street. There are ample growth opportunities available at iQmetrix, however timing is of the essence and both parties need to align to ensure this is a fit. We are taking strides to become more transparent in the available growth opportunities by recently creating an internal job board and transfer process. All leads at iQmetrix understand the value in the individuals on their team growing and are willing to make the sacrifice of losing a great person on their team to embody this. Holacracy: So far we feel the implementation has been a success. This is a slow work in progress and there is no perfect way to implement this new system of how to do work. Our hope is that it is a long term fix that might take time to see the ROI. We are actively requesting feedback via surveys and meetings to ensure that this rollout is as effective and in align with our culture as possible. Our people are our biggest asset. This new system of work will also address the concern regarding promotion of leads to the wrong roles and middle management issues. Holacracy is a transparent way of seeing what people are working on and accountable for, and will also bring more product ownership to certain teams. This is a shift but will ensure people are working on the things that align with their skillset. They will also have the ability to say no to accountabilities they are not comfortable undertaking. This transparency will also allow us to “fail fast” and make the right decisions sooner on endeavors that are not performing. Compensation: No secret, this has always been a pain point at iQmetrix. While we are not one of the “Big 5” that can offer large USD paycheques, we are still privately held and provide a ton of other compensation pieces that allow for long term financial health. We have a dedicated team consistently reviewing the processes, industry standards, best practices and annual performance reviews. Again, thank you for your valued input. You did not go unheard. We are actively trying to address all points mentioned as effectively and efficiently as possible. Wishing you all the best in your career and thank you for your contribution at iQmetrix. Christopher Krywulak

Explore other reviews about iQmetrix

5.0
11 July 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Even though changes take too long to happen, the company always does end up making good decisions on strategy or people. Overall very good company to work for that will give you cool and unique experiences. Products get better by the day.

Cons

Changes take too long

2
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iQmetrix Response
8y
Thank you for the positive review!
2.0
24 Mar 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Unlimited PTO policy Remote work

Cons

No clear strategy Senior leadership isn't aligned

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