26 Jan 2022

Lots of Potential

Instructor

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Good customer, good location, great benefits.

Cons

Too much middle management who have no real world experience outside of the DoD and lack vision of how to run an organization that isn't a military unit. Middle management think watching everyone's movement is "managing". They are better suited for prison work. If they were removed, the company would be far better. As it turns out, old dogs really can't learn new tricks.

Helios Defense Solutions Response

Thank you for sharing your feedback. We appreciate your recognition of our strong customer relationships, great location, and comprehensive benefits. We understand that management styles can impact the employee experience, and we are always looking for ways to improve efficiency, communication, and overall workplace culture. Our leadership team brings a wealth of experience, including DoD backgrounds, which provide structure and discipline. At the same time, we recognize the importance of adaptability in a corporate environment. That said, we strongly encourage employees to take advantage of our open-door policy to address concerns directly. Effective communication is key to resolving workplace challenges, and we believe that open, professional discussions lead to meaningful improvements far more than anonymous, passive-aggressive feedback. We want every employee to feel heard and valued, and we welcome constructive dialogue to find solutions that benefit both individuals and the organization as a whole. As we continue to refine our processes and organizational structure, we remain committed to fostering a workplace where employees feel supported, engaged, and empowered to contribute to our collective success. We encourage any further discussions through our internal feedback channels to ensure concerns are addressed in a productive manner.

1.0

8 June 2022

If I could give negative stars, I would

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

The company has good benefits but is SEVERELY overshadowed by the absolutely horrendous management.

Cons

99% is wrong with this company. The "upper management" is by far the worst I've ever experienced, even while I was active duty. They are all retirees and still think and act like they are still in the military. It feels like I never left except work for the most incompetent toxic people I've ever met. No one knows how to deal with any situation, constant back stabbing, discrimination, the worst micromanagement, willing to throw anyone under the bus. I personally have experienced extremely horrible discrimination while working here and spoke to the CEO directly. NOTHING changed, NOTHING was done. 5 employees have left within the past 5 months. 2 quit on the spot with no notice. 3 of which was due to a single person and having the same issue with said person. More current employees are looking elsewhere and have already taken new job offers. I recently expressed to my immediate supervisor how I was dealing with a lot of mental health issues. At no point did he ask what he could do to help, what was wrong, etc. Instead he told me "to work here you cannot have that affect you". The worst intrapersonal skills I've seen on a person in "management". These people have no idea what it takes to be a true leader, even with having done 20+ years active duty. They had been their E9 roles for so long they don't know how to deal with effectively leading or influencing their employees in a positive manner.

Helios Defense Solutions Response

Ah, another glowing review from someone who clearly excelled in their role. It’s truly heartwarming to see how much we are the problem here and not, say, a total lack of competence from certain individuals who were given every opportunity to succeed. But let’s break it down, shall we? Management is “the worst” and acts like the military? Well, yes—many of our leaders did serve 20 years in the military, so they actually know a thing or two about discipline, structure, and accountability. Crazy concept, right? Discrimination, backstabbing, and toxicity? Interesting accusations, especially considering we bent over backward to help the reviewer find a position where they could actually thrive instead of just cutting ties. Clearly, that was our first mistake. People quitting? Yes, people leave jobs sometimes—shocking! But here’s a fun fact: good employees tend to stay. Mental health concerns ignored? If only we had a record of someone ever raising these issues before dramatically rewriting history in an online review. As for the suggestion that we “clear out management and hire competent people”—thanks for the tip! Perhaps our hiring process should involve identifying people who actually understand leadership and responsibility, rather than those who believe rank entitles them to automatic respect without performance to back it up. But hey, thanks for playing. We’ll send this one to HR: Hilarious Reviews for further analysis.

1.0

10 Mar 2022

Lead people, manage things

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Salary, location, benefits, and scope of work are pretty decent.

Cons

Everything else.....management, at all levels, is detached from reality. From squandering business development opportunities to souring lucrative relationships to extraordinary mediocrity, management is only capable of ineptitude. There's a clear demonstration of mission comes second especially when you have managers clearing stating that they don't care about one of the clients in front of subordinates. The culture is contemptuous, at best, with an overall lack of accountability and fortitude. Management has no spine and shows disdain towards differences of opinion with passive aggressive maneuvering. Impotence and boot-licking is rewarded while innovation and resourcefulness is stifled. Can confirm from a previous review that there's huge potential on site but it will forever go unrealized because of the lack of true leadership. Last note on this: Anonymous company surveys are NOT anonymous and people get hurt feelings when you speak the truth, again, using passive aggressive maneuvering in a retaliatory fashion. Let's talk about COVID....Common sense is not a common virtue. Managerial failures to disclose positive tests and exposure to adjacent company personnel on site, as well as, employees is completely unacceptable but the cultural norm. When the client has cancelled all efforts and reduced forces to minimal manning, instead of asking for a contract mod to allow for teleworking, management (used loosely) requires on-site presence daily while employees are frequenting hot spot areas and bringing the virus (confirmed on multiple occasions) to the workspace with zero inhibition. Some people only make it to management because there are truly no other options. Helios embodies that in the purest form.

Helios Defense Solutions Response

Ah yes, another deeply insightful review from an unbiased source who clearly has an eye for business strategy and leadership excellence. Let’s take a moment to really appreciate the colorful critique: Pros? Oh, so the salary, location, benefits, and scope of work are actually decent? Good to know! Because for a company that’s allegedly so terrible, we somehow managed to provide competitive pay, good benefits, and meaningful work—what a paradox! Management is “detached from reality”? Well, considering we live in a reality where we actually have to balance business decisions, client needs, and employee satisfaction—not just personal grievances—it’s understandable that our reality looks a little different from theirs. “Mission comes second” because someone overheard a manager making an offhand comment? Ah yes, because nothing screams comprehensive business analysis like selectively quoting conversations out of context. Culture is “contemptuous” and “passive-aggressive”? Well, that’s an interesting take from someone who took the most passive-aggressive route possible—an anonymous online review. Bravo! COVID mismanagement? Right, because during a global pandemic where businesses everywhere scrambled to adjust, we should have had a flawless, crystal-ball-level response plan in place. Apologies for not inventing a time machine to rewrite pandemic history. And then we get to the real gem of advice—“sell out to another company” because clearly, the best solution to all workplace challenges is to just quit and walk away. Solid business acumen there! We appreciate the constructive feedback, and we’ll be sure to add it to our growing collection of fictional workplace fanfiction. In the meantime, we’ll continue to do what we do best—providing actual opportunities to those who value a professional environment over dramatic storytelling.