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Forte Research Systems

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Worst Career Move Ever! - Anonymous employee Forte Research Systems Employee Review

1.0
Feb 23, 2014
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

They tend to pay in the higher range, but you do pay a price for that high salary!. They tend to give generous bonuses and if you are successful you will be given a yearly raise. I was impressed with my colleagues, most if not all of them were very smart and driven.

Cons

Toxic work environment. As discussed above, the pay is above avg, but you will be expected to work long hours depending upon your job function. During the interview process, you will be impressed at the level of employee involvement. They will ask smart questions and they will definitely present an image as if everyone is very excited about their jobs and the work environment. When I was there they loved to tout their high employee retention rate, I have heard that over the last 5 years the turnover rate has been quite high, driven in part by people leaving the company. The truth is that most everyone at the company is scared of the Pres, he is unhinged and if you are un-lucky enough to report to him, you are never sure which one of his personalities is going to show up that day! Be advised that on the outside he can appear to be somewhat charming and charismatic, but in reality he is a cunning little manipulator. If you are going to work as a part of the dev/ engineering team you will probably be OK- Any of the other divisions; PM, Marketing & Business Development I suggest you buckle up and be prepared, you will hit the ground running on day one. They are not a start-up but yet they act like one. The president is a typical entrepreneur who changes his mind quite often. If you are going to work at this company, I would suggest you have an open mind, be prepared for a very fast moving dynamic company. If you are coming from a larger company that has very established roles and processes, this will probably not be the right fit for you. As say they about New York City...If you can make it here you can make it anywhere! Good Luck!

Explore other reviews about Forte Research Systems

5.0
Sep 7, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

* Close collaboration with customer community to develop solutions * Strong team focused around a clear customer-first vision

Cons

* Challenge to maintain small company culture through growth

4.0
Nov 22, 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Most of the people at Forte are absolutely amazing. They are smart, caring, and fun. Forte has many of the perks you'd expect in a software company including a game room, free snacks, and flexible hours. The volunteer time off policy and the health reimbursements are also fantastic fringe benefits. It's nice that it's located in Middleton and away from the usual traffic of downtown or Epic.

Cons

My struggle with Forte is likely somewhat unique to my situation. I just couldn't find my "niche", and after months of poking around to see how to best fit in, I decided my best bet was to look elsewhere. The PTO and bereavement policies seem a bit antiquated, but I have my fingers crossed that enough people have voiced this concern that Forte will alter their policies in the next year or two. I'm not going to focus much on the cons of Forte because overall it was and is a fantastic company, and it remains the best software company that I know of in the Madison area. That being said, there are some elements of truth in other reviewers' negative comments about Forte--particularly in regard to product direction and career progression.

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