There are two factions of people in the Austin office: people who love where they work and those who don’t. The people that do: a. have been there less than a year or b. are a part of the ‘favorites’ clique.
Then there are ones who don’t: a. those who are being burned out from overwork b. realized that you’re not a valued asset and treated as such. The turnover is higher than average; especially in HR.
There is not a lot of support or a ‘team’ mentality here. Sadly, that is across all departments. Lot of work gets delegated or communicated about but about there is a handful of people that actually get things done. It’s the same handful of people that you go to for information, how-to’s, or just to get something completed. This company talks the talk without walking the walk.
To describe the company culture, think high school. Professional slander is the norm when people leave (willingly or otherwise). I’ve witnessed unsubstantiated disparaging comments made about former colleagues, on numerous occasions that circulated the office. After the fifth time one begins to question the organization when personal and professional attacks are normal when people advance their career away from this company.
When the company was located in Minnesota I heard the culture described as “family”. When the company decided to move to Austin from Minneapolis a lot of people who built that family, found themselves without a job after decades of working there. It was business decision. From a leadership and HR stand-point the execution regarding such tenured employees was inexcusable.
People of 10+ years weren’t offered positions in the new city because the company wanted “better” employees was the reasoning given when asked why key positions were open. Regarding the move from Minnesota to Austin: as an employee you should keep your skillset sharp, up to date and relevant. Leadership in a company should identify any employee who could benefit from professional development to improve their skillset. Keeping sub-par and/or mediocre employee for decades without addressing the issue reflects poorly on leadership and on the organization as a whole. That’s a testament to the career growth and support you can expect.
Any company that touts a “we’re all a family” as a company culture should be a red flag. (For the most part you don't chose your family, nor 'fire' them if you feel they aren't performing to expectations). A business should treat its employees as if they value and respect them; as professionals, minimally.
Long and short: the commonality of the negative reviews are true. Biased business decisions, skewed work-life balance, non-existent support…There are some that love the company and the culture because they are the chosen few. Some coast through on sub-par, mediocre output with low to no expectations placed on them to perform at basic levels for their position. If you’re a hard worker with great ideas, work ethic and willing to put in extra effort to advance, you may become part of the aforementioned, latter faction of Ottobock employees. Your work-life won’t be balanced, you will be overworked, and thereafter you go through the stages of burnout. I’ve had people cry in my office on more than one occasion, from different departments with different managers but identical issues. There is a common denominator…
