Improving, but not fast enough - Senior Systems Engineer QTS Employee Review

3.0
Jan 31, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

QTS has been through some pretty rough times, most of the 2015-2016 reviews reflect that. I believe the current crop of leaders are steering things in the right direction with exceptions. That does not mean there still aren't significant problems, but the list of problems is slowly shrinking rather than growing. Biggest 'Pros' - Exceptional front line and middle management. I can only speak for the departments I work in, but I rarely hear complaints that are the result of just plain bad management. Bad decisions, typical employee vs manager problems (and vice versa), but not bad managers. - Not a lot of after hours escalations. This was a real problem a few years ago and it has mostly stopped. It is generally now only a thing when there's a real problem or some senior manager can't figure out how to email the NOC without being handheld (kidding - sorta). Given the 24/7 nature of the operations side of the company, this is a great improvement. - Significant effort being made to fix known problems in the company. Senior management is heading up most of these, which is both good and bad. The good is that it generally gets high visibility and has executive support, the bad is below. - Non-healthcare related benefits are either close to/at/slightly above the standards I've had at other companies in similar roles. - I actually like my job and enjoy showing up for work and interacting with team mates

Cons

- Top-Heavy and lack of 'real' leadership. Sometimes I actually put my head on my desk in frustration at the inability to get something done in a company of this size. The answer to many problems seems to be 'hire more management' that are either not empowered to actually fix problems or just aren't real leaders. Way too management heavy, from Directors with 0 reports to managers that delegate and hide in their office. We need way more leadership out of senior employees and front line managers than we are getting right now and those people that step up need to be empowered and assisted in getting things done. - Communication. It is straight up impossible to figure out who to talk to and how to find that person unless you know the right people. An actual org chart and having email contacts + pre-built chat groups/lists is a very simple start here, then work on (again - seeing a trend starting?) getting senior engineers and front line managers involved to get things connected. Email blasting everyone is not communication, that's spamming people and hoping it sticks. - Product Offering. There are significant problems with the vision and goals of the company and it is affecting the bottom line. The company should be performing significantly better than it is but due to this lack of vision and execution it's not happening. There's a lot of big talk, but a lot of it is just that and either little or no real action. I personally feel things will get a good bit worse before they have a chance to improve. - High Turnover in certain departments. My personal department has pretty low turnover, however closely related departments like the NOC (OSC in QTS-speak) have pretty high turnover that directly impacts the business and customers. It is improving and plans are going in place to further improve it, but this is a great example of "way too late and should have already been done". - Actually praying in meetings is creepy, please stop doing it. If I could figure out how to lodge an actual protest against this I'd do it. Not everyone is Christian and not everyone is religious, if you want to pray give a moment of silence and encourage people to pray if that's their thing and pray privately.

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QTS Response
8y
We greatly appreciate the time and attention in your feedback, which clearly conveys your commitment to our continued success. As we work to improve on many dimensions the key will be, as you say, the pace and I’ll add how we prioritize our efforts. While I am sure there will be things we attempt to change or make better that will require us to make adjustments along the way, I and the company, like you are committed to continuing to improve how we run the business. I would be interested in talking to you further about some of your ideas, and I know Andi Crane would love to talk to you about communication solutions. I hope you'll reach out to keep the dialogue going. Don Swartz SVP, Operations and Technology

Explore other reviews about QTS

5.0
Jun 15, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The company has continued to find new ways to increase retention. Have a great team and feel supported by management. Just added a new equity program along with already existing stock purchase program.

Cons

Limited amount of work from home days allocated per employee. No car bonus or reimbursement for tolls on commute to work.

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QTS Response
19h
We appreciate the review! It's encouraging to hear you're excited about our new equity program, "Together We Grow." When QTS is successful, everyone is successful! QTS recognizes that work flexibility is important and employees are encouraged to utilize all 52 work-from-home days every year. This does not include days when the unexpected occurs, like picking up a sick child from school, running home to take care of an immediate need, falling ill, etc. Thank you for your feedback and contributions to QTS!
5.0
Jun 12, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The company's benefits are generous and it shows they invest in their employees. The culture is very positive, with a very team-oriented goal, but with an ownership mindset.

Cons

Work life balance can be tough. The company growth is so rapid, there's a high volume of work.

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