C Space reviews

The standards here are very high. People who might excel in other firms might just be average at Communispace and as a result, they whine about the culture. I read the comments about our Values Awards in other posts here. Those Values Awards are voted on by employees and not management, and there is lots of other recognition. We definitely need more formal training, but there are lots of opportunities to learn from staff meetings to LunchNLearns.

I started at communispace spring 2010. After I interviewed the first thing I did was check out the reviews on glassdoor. They were glowing. What I didn't notice was that they were all from 2008. I don't know what has happened since then, but the reviews were very... optimistic. Maybe it was because only the happy employees left a review, maybe things were different then. The Communispace I experienced wasn't the same place with the awesome culture I read about on glassdoor. The reality is that there are 2 cultures at Communispace. The culture they brag about and talk about is what I read on glassdoor. It's all about communication, collaboration and camaraderie. The 'real' culture is a work-your-ass-off culture. 50+ hour weeks are very typical. The first indication of this culture came on my 2nd week on the job. During the staff meeting the leadership team addressed the '45-hour week' rumor going around the company. Being brand new, I had no idea what she was talking about. She went on to say that every employee was expected to put in 45 hours a week, and if this wasn't happening he/she needed to raise his/her hand for more work. Say what? That never came up during my interview. And if it had, I would have seriously reconsidered. Work/life balance was something I asked about during the interview process and I was assured that it would not be an issue. After a few months there I realized they weren't kidding about the workload. Communispace is a very different work environment than most people have experience, and as such, there's a HUGE learning curve. The first 4-5 months were the worst, but it helped to hear (sort of) that the first 4-5 months are pretty awful for everyone. They try to onboard through 2 weeks of training (which are good), but once those two weeks are over there is very little support and understanding from your manager. You're sort of thrown to the wolves. My biggest struggle at Communispace was the lack of support. I felt like I was on an island with nothing but a two-way radio to communicate with the outside world. What really put the nail in the coffin for me was the 'value awards'. Every year they have a big pat-ourselves-on-the-back meeting to celebrate our accomplishments throughout the year. Communispace has 5 (6?) 'values' they pride themselves on, and awards are given out to employees who represent these values. In theory, this is a great thing. But as I sat through the meeting the 90% of the 50-60 employees who were recognized were called out because of the 'heroics' they'd gone through in the name of client satisfaction. 2am conference calls, launching communities while on vacation in hawaii, 70 hour weeks... this is what gets recognition. The longer I sat in this meeting the more grateful I was that I had not been nominated. While I want to do a good job and be dedicated to client satisfaction, I have to draw a line. I do not want my job to be my life. To be recognized at Communispace, you have to dedicate your life and I'm simply not willing to do that. While I was there I was a good employee. I got all of my work done quickly and with high quality, usually within my 45 hours. My clients loved me. But because I was fortunate enough not to land in a situation requiring 'heroics' I was never recognized for my efforts. And I never would be. If you are looking to build your resume and gain some skills, I highly recommend Communispace. However, this is not a long-term job for anyone who has outside interests or a family.