Sparkrock Reviews

4.4

85% would recommend to a friend

(55 total reviews)

Andy Tryba

98% approve of CEO

85% positive business outlook

Sparkrock has an employee rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars, based on 55 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Sparkrock employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Information Technology industry (3.9 stars).

Reviews by job title

55 reviews
1.0
28 Feb 2021

Toxic

Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The indoor tree is nice

Cons

If you have not been working there for years expect to feel and be treated as an outcast. Working there is similar to the adult version of high school, you have your popular group, your nerdy group, etc. The employees that have been with the company for years can be quite rude and down right unprofessional.

2.0
17 Dec 2015

Manager

Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Nice work space even though it's not central. Monthly company beer and wine get together is cool. Clean washrooms.

Cons

Lots of talk and little action. Not Customer focused which is hard when you are always customer facing. They are more concerned with everyone hitting targets for being billable than they are for us spending the time developing good code for their clients. There seems to be a lack of leadership at the company so we're not always confident that they are all working on the same plan.

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Sparkrock Response
8y
Thank you for your response. We understand that these reviews are anonymous but if you feel comfortable please share directly as insight from employees gives us great perspective. As for your review, we appreciate some of your points and do take them into consideration. We do have to disagree on one point as we love our customers - I think many of us here are inspired by nonprofits and public sector organizations making a difference, which as you know are who are customers are. There is nothing more fulfilling then hearing an employee share a story about a happy customer experience. Implementing our solutions does mean some staff need to bill their time for their professional service, however, to us, we are bringing value to our customers from these professional services. Good revenue management combined with happy customers means our customers are getting value from what we do. We do take note regarding your concern with leadership and will continue to aspire to change that way of thinking. We use the Key Strategic Objectives (KSOs) listed on our wall for everyone to see as a great way for our leadership team to be reminded of our goals. We also revisit these KSOs every quarter and then improve them year over year through our strategy summit.
1.0
25 June 2020

No support, no direction, overworked, and underpaid

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Nice open office space - Free fruit, coffee, tea, and beer/wine - You will get a lot of experience if you're willing to work more than your paygrade.

Cons

Sparkrock does not care about their employees. Everyone there has a story to tell about how they feel overworked and unsupported in the work they are doing. Leadership would have endless meetings about the strategic direction but all they would do is constantly change their minds, make last-minute decisions, and expect everyone else to follow along and keep up. When you would ask to get feedback on something you were working on they would be too busy to look at it (no matter the amount of time you'd give beforehand) until the very last minute and then be confused at why changes couldn't be made and basically demand you figure out a way to make them. They constantly talk about growing the company and would go on hiring sprees without thinking about culture or maintaining a good working environment. Shortly after hiring people who were either a poor fit or didn't make them the money they wanted (probably because of horrendous training and onboarding) they would go on a firing spree. Every 6-8 months they let go of at least 2-3 people and say it's because their strategic direction changed... In addition to the people they lay off, most good employees quit after a year because they're burnt out, frustrated, underpaid, or all of the above. I think when they first started they had a good culture, but it's been diluted over the years by bad hires, bad management, and lack of support. They were once listed as a Great Place to Work but have consistently fallen in the rankings every year. I don't think these are horrible people, in fact, I think the people that work there (although there is so much turnover it's practically a new company every year) are good at heart and are really helpful. The leadership is just so out of touch with the HUMAN BEINGS that work there and it really feels like all they care about is making their next sale. They would often talk about how they are selective with their clients but then sign an organization that is totally off for the solution. I feel quite bad for their clients because they are good organizations (nonprofits and school boards) but they are often sold a false promise (check out other reviews on this - they're accurate). Anyone looking to start working here: Don't be fooled by the open office space and seemingly chill environment. There were so many unnecessary discussions about optics (i.e. a person wants comes in at 8:30am and leave at 4:30pm to catch the train, but it looks bad if we're not all working past 5!!!) and countless nights I wish I hadn't spent working late and worrying about a company that clearly didn't care about me.

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Sparkrock Response
5y
Thank you for taking this time to give us your perspective. We understand that there is always room for improvement and feedback from our employees is extremely useful in helping us identify opportunities. We agree we have an incredible team of hard working and helpful people. We see our leaders working very hard to provide a transparent and challenging work environment. While we can always do better, we are currently focused on our internal onboarding and training program, leadership development, communication and employee satisfaction, and exciting new plans for our new fiscal year. It has been a tough time through COVID, we are not immune. However, we are more focused than ever on our teams and our customers, ensuring everyone feels supported and safe. I would welcome the opportunity to better understand your concerns and invite you to reach out to Beth Francis, Director People, Performance, & Culture, directly at bfrancis@sparkrock.com.
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Glassdoor has 62 Sparkrock reviews submitted anonymously by Sparkrock employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Sparkrock is right for you.