Fast Enterprises reviews

On long hours: Leaders are often the ones who work not only the smartest, but also the hardest. FAST is the leader in this industry. We hope that FASTies are proud to be part of something special and unique, and that they recognize that their hard work helps keep us on this path. Someone for whom a 40-hr standard work week, and 100% predictability are the priority may not be a good match with FAST. That said, we recognize work/life balance is important to sustaining our success and keeping the great people we have. We truly appreciate FASTies’ commitment and regret when anyone “burns out”. We continue to recruit aggressively to increase our workforce, and to develop tools that help new staff become productive as quickly as possible. It does take time to bring people on and to have them trained. In the meantime, we work hard to alleviate and balance out some of that stress. Success is a double-edged sword. FAST stands alone among technologies that modernize government—alone in that not a single FAST project has ever failed, and every single one is on time (per the clients’ original schedules) and within budget (per clients’ original plans). With each successful project, the demand for our services grows as does the demand for FAST resources. On community, outreach and “gimmicks”: FASTies are good people. Paid with community (taxpayer) money. We, along with our families, integrate into those communities. Our clients like us, which is more than can be said for many IT consultants. It is natural to want to give back to the communities we become a part of. Doing charitable works is not a prerequisite for career advancement. It helps our own communities, and has the ancillary benefit of helping FASTies become friends. Many of the activities are initiated by FASTies themselves, not by the company. We have no interest in insincere good deeds. Do charitable works because you are so moved. The choice is yours, as is any guilt you feel. On managers and “hypocrisy”: We encourage you to reach out to HR or a Partner if you have issues with your managers, then you can provide feedback that is specific and actionable. No one is forcing you to stay at FAST. Be honest about what has kept you here, as it is a reflection of your priorities and your value to the job market. If you are interested in respectful and constructive discussion that can lead to improvements in the company, we’re all ears. HR, FAST management and FAST Partners are very willing to share thoughts with employees who wonder why things are the way they are and what’s in store for the future. Otherwise, we encourage you to take responsibility for your own career and find a position where you feel fulfilled.

Thank you for your review, we hope you’ll take the time to process our policies and response below. Regarding your comment on our “flat organization structure”. The implication that people with the same title must share the same responsibilities, skills, roles and even status and salary, is flawed. It is true that most FAST consultants hold the official title of “Implementation Consultant”. This is by design. We believe one key to our success is the way teamwork is woven into our culture. One way we do this is to minimize the number of titles. While everyone has different strengths, skills and interests, no tasks should be “below anyone’s paygrade”. Everyone must be willing to do whatever it takes for the Team to succeed. What’s really important is that we provide FASTies with an environment wherein they gain knowledge, acquire new skills and learn to take on greater responsibilities. To us, this is the essence of real “growth”. And when FASTies grow in this way, increasing their contribution to the Team’s success, we recognize and reward their accomplishments. We do so via compensation and new opportunities, among others. People who measure “growth” by accumulating titles, counting the rungs and people below them, are not a good fit for FAST. Regarding your comment on technical experience. For folks who only value technical skills like learning the latest coding language, FAST may not be the best fit. Our software is designed with a single goal: to provide functionally rich, on time and on budget implementations for our clients. We are not in business to be a stepping stone to other companies. We want to retain our staff and do everything we can to make FAST a place where people want to stay. There are development opportunities within FAST, but we do believe that the best software is created by people who’ve gained some first-hand knowledge of the business that software is meant to support. Generally, it takes a little time and experience to get to those development opportunities. If you joined the company with an exit strategy already in mind and focus on that versus making the best possible contribution, you’re not a good fit for FAST. With regard to relocation, we believe that our business model of relocating FAST teams to our client sites is critical to our success. All of our clients, and most of our employees would agree. Because of this, we make it clear from the beginning of any recruitment that relocation is part of the job. It’s a job requirement that prospective employees should consider carefully as they weigh their career choices. We do have mechanisms in place for employees to express their preferences and we can often accommodate them. We do whatever we can to make relocations as painless as possible. Ultimately, like most consultants who work on projects the size of ours, we go to where our clients are. Thank you for your feedback.