Unsure, Shifting Environment - Anonymous employee Semrush Employee Review

SEMrush is technically headquartered near Philadelphia, but it's clear that everything is really run from Russia, where the company originated. SEMrush can't decide whether it wants to embrace flat management or traditional structure. Some departments went through a holacracy phase. We were 'strongly encouraged' to adapt this setup, but when it failed, we were told that we 'embraced it too rapidly.' They also can't decide on reporting structure, either. One week, your report has 'too many metrics about what you did and not enough examples of your ideas,' and the next week it's the opposite. Why would anyone want to take on the burden and responsibility of reporting when it's the easiest way to get criticized? US employees are directly reminded that their jobs could be done in Russia for 1/4 the price. These differences create many tensions between the offices, and every process is full of red tape and stress as a result. Often times, a US employee will come up with an idea, process, program, or piece of content, only to find that it is later presented to them again later, repackaged as some new original idea from the other office. SEMrush is a large company that still wants to act like a startup. This becomes problematic when they define some HR policies on the go. While I was there, they came up with maternity, paternity, and bereavement policies as the needs arose. While they did come up with some fair policies, it puts anyone looking to have children, for example, in a tough position: with no maternity and paternity policies clearly spelled out, should you reveal your intentions by asking HR? The health insurance is not so great, and it's hard to find doctors in-network if you live in NJ (even if you're within an hour). At least on some tiers of the plan, urgent care is not at all covered, so you have to choose between dealing with it and waiting for your doctor's office to be open or going straight to the ER with a high copay. No work at home days. I'm not saying there's an employee suggestion box filled with a bunch of slips saying 'work at home days, please,' but that might be true. While there is a yearly salary review, you need to fight to get a raise or a title change. Generally they expect you to be performing a role's duties 3-6 months before they will give you a new title. "Cart before horse" best describes how they do things. While it lets you take initiative and fosters innovation, it's also scary when you're on the receiving end of those decisions. POs (product owners) are in charge of various processes and properties. This means that a developer makes high-level editorial decisions about digital publications in 4+ languages. No work at home. Not everyone gets a laptop, though there are some company ones you can sign out. It's interesting when they do not provide a laptop but expect you to work remotely on off-hours or cover events offsite. Lots of meetings that should be emails. Some individuals from the other office will treat you like the outsourced freelance worker rather than an international employee. Cynicism and low morale. It's palpable and overt. You are tossing people aside as you run for a lifeboat or you're playing your last musical piece as the Titanic sinks. There's really no in between. Many, many cultural misunderstandings and faux pas. It might be fun to debate whiskey vs. vodka, but joking with Americans about mass shootings and race-based violence isn't cool. Surprise reporting. Red flags: -Recent layoffs and (voluntary) turnover. -One manager switched roles to a less intense position. -More people are actively looking for jobs/interviewing than not. Expect a very high turnover come the new year. It's very obvious that most of the managers are not satisfied with how things are running. -Some employees were recently asked to sign and backdate an NDA and noncompete. The backdate was to date of hire. They rescinded that part of the request. -Duplication of job duties in Russian office causes employees to question whether the US office will remain open. -Rapid changes in US HR department. Advice to Prospective Employees: -Consider whether you'd be willing to sign an expansive noncompete. -Present yourself as adaptable in every sense of the word. -Sign up for the software (you can get a free limited account online) and read up on it. -In my interview, I was quizzed by the president on various digital marketing terms. Anything I wasn't 100% confident on was used against me in salary negotiation, even if it did not directly relate to my job. Expect an initial offer so low it's insulting.