Ancestry reviews

3.5

52% would recommend to a friend

(145 total reviews)
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Howard Hochhauser

80% approve of CEO

54% positive business outlook

Reviews by job title

145 reviews

Reviews about "Compensation"

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2.0
Jun 24, 2015

Good company - But needs some changes

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great lower to middle managers. Very competitive salaries for web developers. Outstanding benefits package. Work for noble cause.

Cons

Low salaries for administrative positions. Lack of loyalty to tenured employees. Unfair stock options. Unethical behaviors of officers.

3.0
Jun 21, 2015

Great mission but declining work place

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Great mission, useful product - Good business model - DNA product has potential - Leader in the industry - Recognizable brand - Unlimited vacation policy - Nice office and benefits - Easy company to be at, especially if you have a family

Cons

- Political environment. Need to play the game and kiss up to people to get things done or advance your career. - Top heavy company. Senior people are in meetings all day. Junior people do 90% of the work and then each layer in the hierarchy makes some edits to add value. Unfortunately, company seems to value people who can't execute above the people doing the actual work. Example: senior people already get equity when they join the company, and if they try to leave, company throws more cash and equity at them. Junior people don't get equity these days (and if they do, it's not enough to matter), and if they try to leave, company doesn't do much to try to retain them. - Retention issue. Recently a bunch of people in multiple departments left. In teams where there is barely anyone left, company gave promotions to get them to stick around longer. Should have focused on retention in the first place instead of reacting to it. - Program Management is stuck-up because they prioritize your projects. They should be held accountable for keeping projects on track. - Work environment isn't always professional. - Limited career growth. Company always encourages lateral movement. A lot of promotions happened because those people threatened to leave and their team was already short staffed, so the company had to give them something to keep them around. - Senior leadership only wants honest feedback if it's positive. - People are generally comfortable but not motivated. Excluding senior management, the smart/ambitious people have left or are planning on leaving. People who are still there are new, have settled or can't find a job elsewhere. - Unless you're coming in as at least a director, you'll be working hard to make people at the top rich once the company sells itself.

4.0
Jun 12, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Competitive salary and benefits Excellent work/life balance. Little overtime Better than most companies for politics/drama DNA business looks promising Lots of smart and kind people

Cons

Many false starts on speculative projects No equity-based compensation A habit of following fads/trends, often after they've already played out elsewhere Genealogy business may not have much future growth There is very little energy. People seem happy but not excited.

Viewing 121 - 123 of 145 Reviews

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