7y
Thanks for your feedback. I certainly agree that we've got great people/Penguins and can agree that there are pros/cons to open seating. I would encourage you to discuss any noise issues with your manager or HR if you've talked to the offending Penguins and haven't gotten the response you want. After all, it's always best to treat others as you would like to be treated by having the respect and courtesy to talk to them directly. We can all agree on that.
I'm surprised by your two primary criticisms, but will nonetheless address them so that anyone reading this gets the actual real facts and story.
First, free lunches. We offer those in the Austin office. Other offices have different perks and we try customize and differentiate based on the desires/needs/requirements of each office. For example, Raleigh has dogs in the office but not in Austin.
Austin lunches are buffet style and intended to foster camaraderie, teamwork, and convenience (there are no convenient restaurant options immediately around the building like there are in Raleigh). Consistent with that purpose and our values, we ask Penguins to be respectful, courteous, and considerate of their teammates (see paragraph one). We have customer facing Penguins (and others) who are often on the phone or tied to their desk when lunch is served and can't get there immediately like the reviewer.
One of our values is Love for Others, which includes serving each other and showing respect/courtesy for one another. The reviewer and members of their team were obviously asked by their manager to live our values and not go first every day in the lunch line and maybe allow others a chance. Seems reasonable to me and I support the manager in this action. After all, if you saw the same handful of people going first every single day and sitting only in their own clique without interacting with anyone else (like high school), wouldn't you say something too?
As CEO, I will look out for all Penguins and ensure that our hard working, customer facing Penguins get to take a break and have lunch with us. It's a shame I have to deal with a comment like this on Glassdoor when there are so many more serious issues to address.
The second concern raised in the review that requires a response is regarding removal of certain Penguins from the bonus pool. What the reviewer is referring to is a change effective January 1st, 2019. Prior to that, every Bankers Toolbox and Mainstreet Technology Penguin was on a bonus plan. When we pulled these companies together (including Sageworks, which did not have a bonus plan), we launched Abrigo and created the new Abrigo bonus plan. We got outside help for this and adopted recommendations and best practice.
The primary change is that Penguins with relatively small bonus targets (typically 5-8% of their base pay) had that amount rolled back into their base pay effective 1/1/19. That's right, their base pay WENT UP and was no longer variable or at risk. So the reviewer is disingenuous regarding this change. Of course, there was a rationale for the change and that was explained as well. I've not heard a single complaint about this change (quite the opposite actually) and our total compensation costs went UP, not down, as a result of the new Abrigo bonus roll out.
Further, this change was communicated at the company level, to our managers, by managers to their team, and then with a personal letter to every single Penguin that was affected outlining their specific changes. I'm not quite certain how the reviewer could have missed all that or be so misinformed. But I can assure the reader that this is an outlier.
My apologies for the long response, but I try to be transparent and thorough when responding to concerns, especially when they are not factual or warranted. I always own and accept feedback on these reviews. But every now and then it requires a detailed response to a review in order to get all the facts out there. When it comes to protecting our culture and our Penguins, I make no apologies and will defend and promote Abrigo with all that I have. And despite the reviewers comment, I take pride in walking the talk.
We are building something special together, growing rapidly, and creating a great company and culture. I hope the reviewer will come chat with me or someone about their concerns now or in the future. For those reading this, I hope the explanations make sense and help better understand our company.
Best regards,
Wayne Roberts
Chief Executive Officer - Abrigo
