Motley Fool Reviews

Pros

You learn nothing no exposure perfect place to ruin your career

Cons

Check the pros for cons

Advice to Management

Continue to ruin career of others

Pros

-Relaxed Environment with ample freedom for time off -Many opportunities to work in new areas -Your career will advance as fast/far as you drive it, but you have to demonstrate command of your assigned work and crush it

Cons

-Rapid growth is causing a cultural shift, the jury is out on whether it's for the better

Advice to Management

Question why you are trying to grow and what the results might be. You built a great company that many love working for over 25 years. Don't destroy all that just for bigger numbers.

Pros

You’re given considerable autonomy as long as you do the work. In fact, the benefits are endless so long as you do the work. If there’s a dream job, this may be it.

Cons

No bananas left in the kitchen last Friday. :(

Pros

The Motley Fool treats its employees like treasured assets. Unlimited vacation time and flexible hours are real. I take the time to catch a kid's soccer match after school without censor. Employees are encouraged to continually learn new things and there is a healthy budget for it. With just 6 months at the Fool, I have an out of town conference approved and the online classes that helped me do my job better faster... were promptly compensated. The company's mission of making people smarter, happier and richer is for reals internally and externally. The environment is so collaborative that I am compelled to show up to the office despite a 45-minute commute. The people and the welcoming atmosphere totally destroy the image of computer geeks hiding in their corners not talking to anyone.

Cons

Be prepared to gain a fool 15. Despite wellness programs and benefits that compensate up to $75 for gym memberships a month, all the free food adds up if you are not careful. Also, it takes a while to be hired. Two months of rigorous interviews and coding challenges reduce the cultural mismatches that may happen at other companies but it was nerve-wracking.

Advice to Management

Keep the culture alive during this time of growth. Working with ego-free, snarky kind people is wonderful.

Pros

When the Fool is great, it is really great. For most of the first year, people think they've landed a job at the best company ever. Amazing people, great perks, flexible schedule, unlimited vacation, great health insurance, awesome outings that facilitate bonding with coworkers. All the surface level things that make people happy and actually enjoy going into the office.

Cons

After you've been there for around a year, you start to see how things really work. Once people hit the ~5 year mark, it's almost like they have tenure. It doesn't matter how bad they mess up, how negative of an influence they are, or even how much HR recognizes it; they're protected, promoted, and given too much power. These people rarely leave on their own, which means their roles are never vacant. I've seen so... many people held captive because of the possibility of a role they want opening up. What's worse is people who are insanely qualified with multiple masters degrees, designations, certifications, etc. are stuck in roles meant for recent grads until they realize they're worth more or until they're pushed out (which seems to be the Fool way). I wholeheartedly believe Tom and David care about every employee, but I don't think any complaints of this nature ever reach them.

Advice to Management

Get more granular feedback from direct reports and stop protecting the wrong people. It's no secret to most employees who needs to go. You lose serious top talent and hinder efficiency by keeping managers and business owners, just because they've been there forever, who are underqualified and do the bare minimum. I have friends who still work there who are actively looking elsewhere because this is still happening.... Hold all of your employees accountable, promote the right people, and show people they're valued by asking for their feedback and then listening to what they have to say (engagement surveys are not enough!). It's unfortunate, as an employee, once you reach this realization. The good parts are so, so good but once you see how things work, there's no going back.

Pros

Extremely high employee engagement scores (north of 85%) emerging from a culture team that really cares and smart people across the company, working toward a higher purpose together. The business is in an excellent financial position and is 100% owned by past and present employees.

Cons

Hitting scale with numerous solutions is going to require a lot of work on prioritization, communication, recognition, and... learning how to say no. I’m optimistic because the company understands this.

Advice to Management

As often as is reasonably possible, make sure to be on the same page about the bigger decisions because the downstream effects can be subsntantial.

Pros

Employees are given a lot of flexibility. Many perks like unlimited paid vacation, reduced rate hair cuts in the office, standing desks.

Cons

Things can shift quickly. Many employees hoard clutter in an open office environment

Advice to Management

Keep on trucking!

Pros

Great work-life balance, lot's of flexibility

Cons

not much to talk about

Advice to Management

keep at it