Good people, great product, room for improvement in culture and benefits
Pros
Good people for the most part -- most want to come in every day and do a good job. Those that don't soon find themselves out of a job. Good healthy living options (wellness program, fitness center, quitting smoking, weight watchers). If they could get their $*%^ together, they could make this an amazing place to work.
Cons
Performance management is a joke -- performance reviews happen once a year, but they have little to do with actual business objectives. Feedback is seldom and usually given to those who are poor performers (what about the rest of the folks contributing to the company's success). Communication from the top is rare; the only thing we hear about company-wide is what the marketing or sales teams are doing in terms of hiring. What about the rest of the company news? There are some good people doing great things, but marketing is the only group that is allowed to "market" their successes. Also, if you are in sales or marketing, you are treated like gold -- everyone else is ignored or trampled on. This creates a huge "us vs them" disconnect. Particularly with any form of money -- you could be an administrative assistant in sales and be on a bonus plan whereas managers and leaders in other teams get nothing. The 401(k) plan is horrible: a) 6 years for vesting? The company is banking on the fact that the average employee stays with the company for 3 years or less so they will rarely have to pay out any of their investment. b) Match stinks - it's discretionary and only about 3.5 % of your salary and happens once a year. Though Mr. Packer states that we are competitive I want to know what companies he has compared us to. They cannot remain competitive this way.
