A fantastic place to learn, grow, and thrive - Software Engineer SurfMerchants Employee Review

5.0
Jul 17, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Being a small company, there is the unique opportunity to wear many hats. In my time at SurfMerchants, I was able to contribute to product development, systems architecture, systems administration, database administration, and infrastructure. I felt like my contributions - both code and ideas - were encouraged and given full consideration. The organization is battle hardened - there is something for everyone to learn, regardless of background. I felt like the ability to dabble in every aspect of the business meant that I grew quickly as an engineer and as a person. The employees are there to get things done, and they work hard to do so. With this comes a healthy penchant for play, and being in the office is a genuinely good time. The work schedule is roughly 50% in office and work-from-home, which means you won't be fighting Boston traffic as often as you might elsewhere. Finally, the organization does a good job recognizing both effort and excellence. This means that work is rewarding.

Cons

The company is small but successful (and growing). This means that there is a lot of work to be done, with tight deadlines. Management does what it can to take the pressure off, but the fact remains that there is just a ton to do. This can lead towards getting things done at the expense of getting things done "right." Pay can be lower than other tech firms in the area, but this is offset by a tremendous benefits package.

avatar
SurfMerchants Response
12y
This is a spot-on summation of what it's like to work at SurfMerchants, both the good side and the tough side (and yes, we're definitely "battle hardened" in terms of "learning from our past screwups" - we don't make the mistakes that rookie startups often make). There's always a lot to do (that's the dark side of having huge demand for our services) and we definitely don't do everything as well as we could. But we never stop trying to do better, never stop listening, and never forget to take care of each other.

Explore other reviews about SurfMerchants

5.0
Jan 14, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- The people, the people, the people. - The company has a flat structure so you can have a massive impact on day one - It's a playground for self-starters. You are encouraged to try new things, new roles, or new ideas. Every year you can take an "inovacation" week to work on a self-motivated project of your choosing. - Management is incredibly accessible. You don't like your chair? Just send an email. You don't like the software they are using? They'll hear you out, and if they agree, they'll change it. Any problem I ever had was resolved within a week. - Surfmerchants is human, compassionate, caring and kind. A few years ago, my Dad ended up in the hospital. SurfMerchants gave me the space I needed to prioritize my time in the way that made sense for me and my family without any hesitation or pressure. - Management genuinely wants you to succeed, and if SurfMerchants is no longer the place for you, they will support you and do whatever is in their power to help you move on to where you need to go. - And then, of course, the work from home schedule, 401K matching, free health insurance, lunch on Fridays, beer o'clock, cold brew coffee, pool table, DOGS (you can bring your dog to work!!), snacks, and friendships that will last you a lifetime.

Cons

- The pay is little low - As a social person, the work from home schedule took some getting used to

5.0
Jul 17, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The thing I loved most about Surfmerchants was the culture of the company. The only thing that mattered was that the customers were happy. If you love serving customers, then you will enjoy it here because so long as your customers are happy, you can pretty much pick and choose what else you do. There is a lot of work, so never a dull moment. I had the opportunity to work in various jobs, each time suggesting and being allowed to move from one to the next. Flexibility that allows you to have a life. The work from home days are a huge help if you have kids or errands to work as you can schedule these on those days. If you do your job, you will be cared for, you will be appreciated and you will feel like you are making a difference. Turn over is low and most of the staff that leave, hang around as friends for a while. There is no room for slacking off. If you are not doing your job, it will be apparent very quickly and if you do not take advantage of any support offered to improve, then you will be let go. Leaders try to nip gossip in the bud by keeping an open door policy.

Cons

Flexibility to get your job done and have a life sometimes means that you could overdo one or the other. It teaches you to be a good time manager and understand where best to spend you time.

2
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All