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Super Micro Computer, Inc. (Supermicro)

Engaged Employer

Super Micro Computer, Inc. (Supermicro) reviews

3.1

51% would recommend to a friend

(234 total reviews)
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Charles Liang

57% approve of CEO

55% positive business outlook

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234 reviews

Reviews about "Compensation"

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2.0
May 9, 2017

Stable Company but Methods are very 1980s

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

This company is stable and has been steadily making or exceeding forecasts for many quarters. Salary is about average and there has not been any layoffs since the beginning... which is good.

Cons

Company culture and management seems to have been stuck in the 1980s. Vacation benefits are terrible. For example, if you have been working here for 20 years, you will have the same vacation benefits as the person they just hired yesterday, which is two weeks and one week sick leave per year. When some companies just a few miles from here already offer unlimited vacation, our vacation benefits seems to have been stuck in the 1980s. Also, they will cash out your hours over 80 every year and will not allow you to accumulate. Basically, it is them saying you cannot take more than a two week vacation at any time. Supervisors here require that you submit a daily report, which is okay. But on top of that, at least in my department, we are asked to do two more reports every week which is basically the same content as the daily reports submitted the 5 days prior. This is called a Status Report, and the team Project Overview. The Status Report is submitted to your manager, the Project Overview is submitted to the manager's boss. So you have an idea how lazy my manager is, as this Projects Overview is supposed to be my manager's report to my manager's boss. I am not sure how it is with other departments, but I heard the Daily Report and Status Reports are standard across the company. Also, these reports are seldom read by the manager and a total waste of time. It is just so we are seen as 'working hard'. They offer pastries in the morning and offer dinner to those who are working late. At first, you will think this is nice of the company, until you realize that the pastries in the morning is so you come to work earlier than the normal time of 9:00AM and the evening dinner if so you stay later than usual, since the dinner boxes usually arrive at 7:30PM. On Saturdays, some employees are 'expected' to show their faces, even if they have nothing to do. "Points" are given by the CEO who are seen here on Saturdays -- away from their families. This is an unwritten policy, but widely known within the company. The CEO also makes his rounds at 7:30PM every night (1:30 hours after the end of regular working hours of 6PM), to see who is still 'working hard'. Many of which are there just so their faces get seen by the CEO for the "points", even though their work for the day is done. Most of the employees here are Asian. And in congruent to Asian culture. many just take it as it is and do not complain, or maybe don't know any better. The company methods are stuck many decades back, sort of the IBM culture back in the 70s and 80s. Management here still wear a white shirt and a tie everyday. Everyday. Finally, there is a glass ceiling for people who do not speak Mandarin Chinese. If you look at the top management, only the ones who face the investors and customers are native English speakers. Look at the other departments, then boom. Attend a meeting sometime and you will think you are in China or Taiwan. I have been here more than 10 years, no advancement opportunities. Many supervisors are incompetent and got the job because 1) they speak Mandarin and 2) they know someone.

1.0
Apr 10, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Discounted gym membership. Accepted my salary request after negotiating.

Cons

The atmosphere at Supermicro is extremely negative. I worked here for one month as a Product Engineer and was trained in multiple departments as a new hire. Throughout all of my training, I met new people each who would tell me that I need to watch my back at the company and if I wanted to know how bad it could get, to study glassdoor reviews. A senior engineer advised me: "stay late on weekdays even if you are not working - that's how you will be recognized for hard work." This is no joke. My direct manager would tell me that most of the time, reps on our sales team will have a lot of drama fighting over accounts. He laughed talking about how most of the time, our team will already know who won the account long before our sales reps find out because we work directly with the customer. Then he proceeded to say that I should stay out of the sales "drama" as much as possible. This was one of many signs that told me how unprofessional the teams are. During my exit interview with HR, the HR coordinator asked me why I wanted to leave so soon and so abruptly (I did not give a two-weeks notice). I gave her my reasons and her response was, "Oh yes. Those reasons also seem common on Glassdoor, and we have a lot of turnover with younger new hires. We read the reviews and are trying to fix it. Right now our priority is trying to get a 401k match." If that's their first priority, there's no way this company will retain good talent. Since then I've worked at a much better Silicon Valley tech company. If anything, Supermicro was the place that taught me exactly how a company should NOT operate and made me appreciate my new job so much more.

1.0
Apr 8, 2017

Don't Walk - Run Away!!

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Smart engineers and good designs methodology. Broad product portfolio and many customer options. Good engineering collaboration and field support when needed.

Cons

Incompetent FAE and sales management. Sales leads are all morons. Back stabbing and account stealing. Sales management has no clue how to sell. No commissions paid. Be happy with your base pay. Lousy benefits, no 401k match, work here for decades and only get 2 weeks vacation. Do not apply for a job here. You will regret wasting any of your professional career here unless you want experience in how not to run a sales organization. High turnover rate in FAE and sales positions. Must be a reason why but management is too stupid to catch on or just don't care. My bet is both. They prove it every day.

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