1. The company is NOT predatory, but it does FEEL icky. I think the more contact you have with customers/lessees, the less happy you are. We say we're helping people, but it often doesn't feel that way. 2. 6 holidays (even when we can't fund on bank holidays), below-average PTO, 1 floating holiday. No flex time. Limited hybrid/remote options. There aren't a lot of "perks" or benefits outside the basic health insurance. 3. (this isn't a con for everyone, but it was a big deal for me) The CEO is a very old-school top-down boss, and the company is small enough that that trickles down. Especially if you're in the same office. Some job postings say they're hybrid, but Bart values butts-in-seats. He regularly walks through the office at 4:30 on a Friday to see who's still there (even when he's coming back from a month-long vacation to do it). Bart's a multi-millionaire using Clicklease to become a billionaire. He is really out of touch and gives financial advice in company meetings like: "It doesn't matter how much money you make." (In a time of record-setting inflation.) 4. The quote in the headline is something Bart says a lot and builds the company around: "The reward for success is no punishment." The company really struggles to celebrate wins. In fact, when a department or company meets goals, that's only acknowledged by raising quotas for the next quarter with no additional resources. We're "crushing it" but there are no bonuses or raises. Or even pizza parties. Sales goals are adjusted (up) mid-month or mid-quarter. 5. They make big promises to investors without the resources to support them. This forces people to be really narrowly-focused on the next revenue meeting, the next board meeting, the next quarter. The immediate future is more important than long-term planning. The company strategy changes surprisingly quickly so it's almost impossible to plan ahead. Most of the time it feels like we're building the tracks right in front of the moving train. 6. Departments commit to KPIs before they have their budgets approved. This year, budgets weren't finalized until about February. Which leaves teams short of resources and sprinting ahead anyway. 7. There's a big nepotism problem. Exec's kids (or friend's kids) get big positions. Managers hire their immediate family as direct reports and then show favoritism that's obvious even outside their department. Execs allow this even when advised against it. 8. The office is poorly designed and in a bad part of town. People don't feel safe/comfortable inviting their families to visit. But it's cheap. The space isn't big enough with the current layout and departments are consistently fighting over space. Not a big deal if you "win" but just one more source of contention between departments. 9. D&I is a problem. No women in leadership roles. Bart once held a meeting with women from the company about how the company could do better. But he "felt attacked" only acted on the one single smallest recommendation and never followed up or changed his behavior in the slightest. POC is sorely lacking, but I can't speak to that experience. 10. The company as a whole is really cliquey.
