Pros
1. Pretty cool office aesthetic 2. Located in a nice area with character 2. Relaxed, semi-casual work atmosphere 3. Semi-flexible hours 4. Lots of autonomy 5. Flexible schedule - able to get coffee or go for a brief walk during the day 5. Friendly people to work with 6. Interesting work 7. Typical start-up food perks: stocked kitchen, catered meals 8. Close to BART and restaurants
Cons
The following is my personal opinion, based on my experience and observations. 1. The leadership is painfully lacking in skill and experience. I could go on with details, but I'll leave it at that. You can also check LinkedIn for some clues. 2. The company has not placed importance on developing processes. Consequently, making things work inner- and inter- department is a daily struggle. 3. There is not enough supervision of employees by management. Management doesn’t even know half of what their employees do because it’s easier for them to not take the time to consistently MANAGE. 4. The hiring process is needlessly excessive, long, and so “specific” that it is a type of “reverse-discrimination.” For example, being hired is not just about whether the applicant is qualified and seems like a nice enough person. In fact, the recruiter once told a room of people that an applicant may not be hired if someone in their prospective department thinks the applicant has an annoying voice. The logic here is that if someone in your department "doesn't like you" (even if it's because of something you are born with like your voice), you wouldn't be hired because it won't promote a "good" company culture. Thus, applicants only get hired if they are deemed the EXACT, “right” kind of person to fit into the culture. (Or should it be called CULTure?) 5. In theory, the culture and employee handbook seem nice, but in reality, the office culture has a bizarre happy "Stepford" and "cult" vibe going on. Example: during orientation, employees were literally asked if they had "drank the LeadGenius Koolaid." For real. 6. There's no job security (more on that below). 7. Expectations and feedback are communicated ambiguously (or not at all), so employees never actually know where they stand. Even if an employee thinks that everything is fine and they are doing a good job based on their job description and company handbook, they could be suddenly booted out the door for "not meeting expectations" with no warning. It's happened. 8. The "happy family" and "we care about people" tag lines are just that - lines. In reality, employment is just business to the leaders at the company and there are tons of politics and ego issues going on between all of them. Look out for yourself, keep your head down, and take the "at will employment" part of the employee agreement seriously. They really do let people go at will, no warning. 9. Restating the above: because no documented reviews take place and there is very little supervision by management, employees can find themselves suddenly without employment simply because it presents itself as being advantageous to their supervisor's interest or political position. 10. And AGAIN: unlike companies with official HR processes in place for employee reviews and termination of employees, it's a free-for-all at LeadGenius. Thus, there is really no security or protection for employees at LeadGenius. Employees may or may not receive a warning before they're terminated. Management may or may not tell employees that they aren't meeting expectations and their job is on the line. Personally, I would prefer a more straightforward work culture where employees can know where they stand.
