2 May 2020

Be careful

Software engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

People hired to be on same team appeared to be smart and professional.

Cons

Lack of communication and clarity. Was hired to work as a software engineering consultant for one of their clients. Initially I was told that there were delays in paper work but nothing to worry about, a few weeks later the project had been cancelled but I was told there was the possibility that another project would be started with the same company and they would update me. I never received any updates and messages went unanswered. Additionally, it was not clear during the interview that the project was not finalized and they were still waiting to finalize terms with the client. As far as I could tell, the project was definitely happening until I heard about the delays. One person I know left her job for this one only to have the project be cancelled and to have to scramble to find a new job. I understand that these things can happen in the life of consulting and contracting, but the lack of communication after the initial news as well as the appearance that the project had already been agreed on during interviews is the real red flag here. Only provide 9 days of PTO. If I remember correctly, that included sick leave.

Timber IT Consulting Response

The project you are referring to fell through about six months ago and we agree it was a difficult situation. We are sorry how this project turned out and truly wish it would have panned as our entire team expected. We were disappointed and remorseful last Fall and are still today. A bit of backstory is that after months of discussions with our client prior to us hiring engineers, getting an agreement to terms, and a request from our client to onboard and begin working, the CEO of our client shifted their focus and investment elsewhere overseas. We were initially given a green light to begin working, which turned to yellow and then red. It was hard and we are sorry. During the green light phase, we were requested by the executive leadership of our client to provide names of specific team members for log-ins and badges (thus your introduction to the project). At the yellow light phase, we were told there were delays to project start dates which we communicated to our engineers immediately (some of which stretched their end dates to amend the transition period). Finally at the red light phase, the whole project was pulled and even the internal full-time team at this client as well as their overall company earnings suffered losses. It was tragic. In an attempt to rapidly lift and shift the team we were building, we looked for other similar opportunities and began conversations with other clients in your local market, but unfortunately, nothing panned out. If you would like additional information, please call us and we can discuss it again. We recently divulged more details of the losses incurred both on a business and personal front via email to the prospective team members, but are happy to discuss further information or context if it would prove helpful. Again, we are sorry.

1.0

10 May 2020

Stay away

Software engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Able to recruit talent remotely

Cons

Deceitful, selfish, and unprofessional. They hired a full team of engineers under the false pretense of a set project. There was pressure to move quickly and no indication of uncertainty, as employee contracts were signed within a matter of days due to high pressure by the company on recruits. The project was pushed back and eventually cancelled, leaving many people, including myself, in a state of limbo when it was implied there may be another project down the road. Timber offered no compensation, and cancelled health insurance plans without notifying us. After a while, the communication dropped out altogether. I can’t imagine an ethical company doing and then claiming that they deserve sympathy. Their actions and communications led to unemployment for a whole group of people when those people cancelled other interviews and quit current jobs under the pretense that the job for which they had a signed contract was legitimate.

Timber IT Consulting Response

Our team feels the same as you. We wished that our client would have kept their commitment and that we could have joined the engagement as it had been communicated to us for months. The recent communication from TIMBER’s CEO was in fact in response to another recent review posted on Glassdoor that referenced the project from last Fall. This prompted our team to revisit this again (now 6 months later) and after we had already communicated with each of you individually (in some cases daily) on both the project status and the hope of pivoting to take on another project given that the client was indicating this as a possibility. As we all came to discover, neither scenario materialized, and for that, we apologize again. Clients have the power to (and sometimes do) make changes that affect budgets and organizational direction. This fact does not change how our internal team did the best job we could with the information we had and how we were in regular contact with our engineers to over-communicate status. The goal of recently communicating our own company hardship during that scenario was to be real and authentic and in no way to discount or overshadow your own experience last Fall. All too often, we see in the market that many consulting firms are painted in a negative light as you describe. However, we wanted you to know that the pain was also real for our team and we did everything we could to make it right. TIMBER is a startup that has set out to disrupt this industry for the better and address the concerns you have communicated. This is no small undertaking, and it is met with tremendous headwind as we attempt to alter the status quo. However, it’s a risk that we take on with open arms as we want better for you and for all those that are interested in positive change as a consultant employee and for clients that are looking for a better way of delivering solutions. The truth of who we are as a team and what we are striving to do for our customers and clients does not make difficult scenarios like this any easier. The hope was that by giving even more transparency into the resources (time, energy, and finances) spent by our company to make this program phenomenal, and details of the chronology of interactions with the end client, it would help provide more context and personal empathy to those affected by this. It matters enough to us that you understand and are made aware of another point of view. We wish you and the few others affected by this project falling through could have fully experienced how we are different and the tremendous amount of care we have for our employees. If you would like to discuss anything further, please reach out to us directly.

1.0

17 Dec 2021

Bad experience

Sales

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Remote work (but still prefer to have the option to go into a physical location to build a sense of culture and inclusion).

Cons

I had an ok experience working here but feel as though I was over promised on the environment that I would be coming into, and so when I did join it felt underwhelming. The worst experience was how my off boarding went, I felt it was extremely unprofessional on multiple levels, from the way I was paid out, to when my last day would be, my last day ended up being the day I gave notice. I couldn't believe how it all transpired and I just took it as a learning lesson to do more research on companies before joining.

Timber IT Consulting Response

Thank you for your feedback. We take all feedback to heart. While the culture at TIMBER is something that we are extremely proud of and passionate about being a part of, we understand that everyone is different with unique values and preferences. While the TIMBER culture may not be the right fit for everyone, we are sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations. We will continue toward our collective goal of making TIMBER the best, most healthy, and supportive work environment possible. If you have any further questions, we would be more than happy to schedule a call and hear your concerns.