Where Harmonia is struggling right now is getting and keeping talent, a culture in a period of transition, and lack of upward growth for developers.
There has been a fair amount of turnover in my two years at the company. While there are some brilliant, experienced developers who aren’t likely to leave, experienced devs tend to leave after a few years. New hires are generally fresh grads, decreasing the average level of experience at the company. Experienced devs are having to spend more time supporting newer devs and less time innovating. The crux of the problem, in my opinion, is the lack of upward growth for developers. Essentially, once you become a team lead, there is no promotion to aspire to. Some developers don’t mind, but others look outside the company for their promotion.
The company culture is in a period of transition right now. When I came aboard in late 2017, the culture felt really strong. There was a sense of kinship and a feeling that what we were doing was important. The company would throw a huge (Blacksburg) Christmas party, which everyone loved. Due in part to the turnover, and in another part to an apparent tightening of the belt, the culture feels like it has slowly dissipated. Our annual Christmas party was canceled, in favor of a party in DC that the majority of the Blacksburg office won’t attend. Small things like healthy office snacks are being replaced with cheaper alternatives. Developers, especially in Blacksburg, feel like less of a priority than they used to.
Overall, most of these things have changed in the two years I was with the company, and so they may very well change again for the better.
