50 Shades of SoftRock: Beware of Future Endeavors - Anonymous employee SoftRock Employee Review

1.0
Aug 18, 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Free drinks, popcorn, corn hole, etc. (though most of these things were only for recruiting purposes). I created long lasting friendships that transcend the bureaucracy of a corrupt business model.

Cons

SoftRock closed in March of 2016 for good reason, so the intention of this review is to warn job seekers interested in applying for positions in any company managed by or affiliated with Alec Difrawi (Alec Defrawy, Michael Defrawy, Ayman El-Difrawi, Ayman A. El-Difrawi, Ayman Ahmed El-Difrawi or whatever he feels like being called on a day-to-day basis) in the future. Stay away from this man. He shouldn't be allowed to start new companies, but he'll always find a way like the greedy, seedy scam artist he is. It feels so good to say all of these things now. When you float around the inner circle (by working hard, not sexing it up), you quickly learn how bad the gossip is. Cons of working for this man, the managers he chose, and the horrible empire he built: discrimination, sexual harassment, unfair wages, immoral extracurricular and company activities (girls in bathing suits for a prank on an almost all-male tech department, girls in athletic wear for a silly commercial made for an education partner to like us, drinking on the job, etc.), chauvinistic management practices, false promises (partner-affiliated lawsuit payouts to employees who hadn't received quarterly bonuses or salary raises in a year or more), personal vendettas, and impromptu meetings either early in the morning (an hour or two before your shift starts) or very late in the day (when you should be driving home or you should have already been home for an hour) because Alec "doesn't sleep" and so he thought of another brilliant plan to look like a legit company while still robbing consumers. Oh I forgot to mention many of these positive Glassdoor reviews are fake, the result of Alec asking his managers and prized personnel to flood these sorts of job boards with positive messages about working for him. In reality, working for him made me resent the marketing business. We duped people, we made false promises to candidates, we fired people for terrible reasons, and we hired the wrong people because they looked great in skirts and low-cut blouses. If you want to respect yourself, gain actual experience in your industry, and capitalize on that experience in the long run, don't work for any company owned or operated by Alec Difrawi. Run in the other direction. I learned my lesson the hard way, even though I was applying and interviewing for various positions within six months of working there. I somehow lasted (and couldn't leave, because SoftRock was and is a sore spot on my resume) almost three years. Don't waste your precious professional time on him or the brand he's shoving down your throat. He doesn't know what he's talking about and he will never, contrary to his wanton belief, start a truly innovative company like Google. He's not capable, and he's not as smart as he thinks he is.

Explore other reviews about SoftRock

5.0
Jun 3, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great environment, great employees we play hard and work hard!

Cons

We only hire and keep the best of the best.

5.0
Aug 6, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I am proud to be apart of a great innovative, dynamic, and diverse company like Softrock. Softrock has created an amazing atmosphere for all employees during the hiring and training process. All the departments from Human Resources, Media, IT, Marketing, and Management work effectively together to create a fun and professional environment where everyone can feel comfortable, happy, and welcome. Softrock is one of the very few companies known to provide exciting events such as holiday parties, cookouts, and sports so that way everyone can come together to interact and have fun. With the positive feedback and support from Managers, Softrock has managed to grow successfully as a company since 2005 by giving everyone that comes on board an opportunity to grow and achieve a fun exciting long-term career. And last but not least, one of the best things that makes Softrock so unique and a great company compared to other companies is our CEO Alec Difrawi. Not only is Alec recognized for his hard work and dedication managing the company as a whole but also takes the time to get to know everyone individually in every department as much as possible and is aware of everyone's success. In conclusion, this is why I am proud to be working for Softrock.

Cons

One of the things that I least like about Softrock is the long exhausting four step process to get hired and the exhausting , stressfull 12 hour shift for two weeks training only.

2
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