KaBOOM! Reviews

3.0

45% would recommend to a friend

(92 total reviews)

James Siegal

74% approve of CEO

41% positive business outlook

KaBOOM! has an employee rating of 3.0 out of 5 stars, based on 92 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The KaBOOM! employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Non-profit and NGO industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

92 reviews
2.0
10 Mar 2015

Let Them Eat Cake

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Helping kids have a healthy childhood by building opportunities for play. Resilient, positive co-workers I look forward to seeing every day. My manager is very good. I have developed some skills sets that will definitely help me later. KaBoom! playground builds are exceptional.

Cons

In response to a sea of reviews that all say essentially the same thing, KaBoom CXO Team countering those serious concerns with, "And did I mention the fully stocked kitchen, monthly birthday celebrations, and tire swing in the lobby!" is LAUGHABLE. That statement actually exposes the EPIC level to which KaBoom CXO leadership has lost touch with any kind of reality, concern, caring or competence. The fact that they think a tire swing or handing out birthday cake in any way mitigates the disrespectful way employees are treated is beyond disturbing. Worse, making it look like anyone who is unhappy at KaBoom must be some kind of slacker who doesn't want to "work hard and aim high" is just plain deceitful. It is also incorrect, in my observation working here, to imply that "forward leaning" management is trying to deal with a bunch of Luddites who are "uncomfortable with change" and don't want to "evolve" or "be bold." It is unfair to imply that. Staff here is enthusiastic and cooperative, especially under the circumstances.

2.0
13 Mar 2015

A great vision, executed horribly.

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Working on projects and programs that are new to me. Good learning experience in positive and negative ways both provide growth. It is an interesting look inside an organization that manages to succeed despite itself. KaBoom! would make a fascinating case study.

Cons

Like being back in middle school complete with teacher's pets and a playground bully. Organizational goals set up like a Whac-A-Mole game makes frustration a common occurance and individual employee success unlikely. Upper management tells us, "People who check their ego at the door do great at Kaboom!" That is true. Everyone needs to leave their egos at the door since the ego of the CEO takes every square inch of space in the organization there is no room for anyone else, including his own executive team who has also been bullied into submission. (Along with other ongoing problems mentioned by others, lower than standard industry pay, low morale, employees not at all empowered, general atmosphere of impending doom a frequent message from CEO etc.)

2.0
29 Mar 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The time I spent at KaBOOM! was painful, but not wasted. That's what I tell myself, anyway. 97% of the people who work here are genuinely kind and decent, fully capable of doing a fantastic job, if only they were allowed to do that. Alas, they are not.

Cons

If you can't explain something clearly, you don't really understand it yourself. Either management understands the new drifting, shifting mission and chose not to share it with the rest of us interchangeable cogs OR (more likely) they don't even really understand it themselves; either way, not a recipe for success. All we knew was whatever it is, it requires $$$$ and lots of it. Lots and lots of $$$$. Get those $$$$. Go, team, go. Kowtowing to the growling appetite of KaBOOM!'s founder & CEO has become more important - much more important -than anything else. So sad, but it is not going to change. Not. Going. To. Change. It's one thing to work really hard for something you're a part of, but it's a struggle to maintain motivation when it is clear you are not really included and what you think is of interest to no one. Not that you should even try to think for yourself, that's futile. Micro management isn't even the right measurement here, it's yocto management.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 92 Reviews

Glassdoor has 107 KaBOOM! reviews submitted anonymously by KaBOOM! employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if KaBOOM! is right for you.