Pros
Edmunds is hands down the best place I've ever worked. It starts with the people, who are truly incredible. It's filled with smart, passionate professionals. There is also a lot of diversity – we're not all the way there, but Edmunds is well ahead of other places I've worked. And aside from ethnic and gender diversity, we've got a great blend of backgrounds – small college, large university, liberal arts, STEM, we have representatives from all. And, while the majority of our staff is based out of Santa Monica, we have salespeople spread across the country, which gives us geographic diversity as well.
Edmunds also has a fantastic office space. As someone who does creative work, I find the place incredibly energizing. As the weather warms up – and we're located in Southern California, so it’s mostly warm – they pull back the sliding glass doors to the interior courtyard. You can take your laptop out there to work – or meet up in one of the pods throughout the building.
I also love the egalitarian office space. Everyone has the same desk configuration, from the owners of the company all the way down to new hires in operations. You literally can’t tell someone’s rank by where they sit. (There are some exceptions: our in-house lawyers do have traditional offices so that they can have private conversations, but, as noted, the owners all sit out in the open with everyone else.) I spent years working at companies where mediocre middle managers rated offices - I really love the layout here at Edmunds.
Another plus: the Workplace Experience Team, which runs the facility, is devoted to employee satisfaction. In every other company I've worked for, the operations department is all about enforcing the rules: making sure you keep a lid on your coffee cup or you clean up the conference room after you've used it. Here, the Employment Experience is focused on organizing events, making sure that employees have everything they need to do their jobs, and, oh yeah, keeping the place sparkling.
Finally, I want to say something about our Results Only Work Environment. I really love it. Under ROWE, I can scheduled family and personal time without asking for permission. I can work from home when I need to and I have a lot of flexibility around the hours that I work – this is great for me, because I can usually schedule my workday around the times where I have the most energy. Obviously, if you work with other people – as I do – you never have complete control of your schedule, but Edmunds does a great job of allowing you to reach a good balance.
Here's how I'd sum it up: Edmunds provides the most fun, creative atmosphere I’ve ever experienced, a place where you can relax while also getting a lot of serious work done. They treat you like an adult. You'll have outstanding co-workers. And you'll have the benefits of working for a relatively small, family-owned business while enjoying the perks of a much larger company.
Cons
Edmunds is located in Santa Monica. That's actually a plus in many ways – for example, there are lots of fantastic restaurants in Santa Monica, but the flip side is that there's a lot of traffic. Unless you are fortunate enough to actually live on the West Side of LA, you will have to deal with traffic.
Also, Edmunds is a fast-paced environment where things change quickly. I think this is a plus on the whole, but there's definitely a downside. If you want to work in a place where you'll be doing the same thing in the same way for years, this isn't the company for you.
