COVID-19 Layoffs Reveal, Not The Company I Joined (Non-Labs Review)
Pros
The on-site benefits are quite nice. I loved meeting with Dr. Jackson and working with Alisa Allen, the on-site massage therapist. MasterControl has multiple wellness rooms which were a lifesaver when I wasn't feeling well or when I needed a breather. The wellness options MasterControl provides have changed my life for the better. I now know how meditation, stretching, and proper breaks can change your entire perspective on life and increase your base-level happiness and ease (without any quackery mumbo-jumbo). More companies should have such thoughtful, caring massage therapists and should encourage basic wellness like MasterControl. Outside of management and executives, the employees at MasterControl are the salt of the earth. I will miss them dearly. They are hardworking, nice people who deserve all the best.
Cons
In my department, the layoffs saw all women leave the team. No men were let go, but all the women were. The choice is suspicious at best and disgusting at worst. Regardless of if this is a coincidence or not, the team will be greatly changed by losing all diversity in the team. I doubt the culture will easily recover. The company cares more about optics than people. When tough times come, HR becomes sneaky and manipulative to maintain the #BestTeamOnThePlanet appearance. They didn't even let people say goodbye to their teams during the layoff which is beyond cowardly. Layoffs are difficult for any company, but they can be handled with compassion. Most importantly, the new EVP's that are being hired throughout the company are destroying the people who made MasterControl great for 10+ years. I understand the need to buckle down and focus on accountability to expand, but the new leaders are focused on ego, politics, and making themselves look good rather than improving their teams and getting results. They force their teams to meet impossible deadlines to complete ethereal goals that change constantly and then point to their teams for their own failures. There is no work/life balance at this company and all semblance of caring about individuals is lost by the wayside. MasterControl does not promote from within, ever. Any internal job postings are lateral moves at best, but manager roles or higher are always externally posted. Internal candidates are not considered. This is truly a shame since MasterControl has (or had) some eminently qualified employees who would have great perspective to bring to a management role and to the people higher up in the company. MasterControl does not provide any opportunity for Professional Development. Working at MasterControl is not a good idea long-term for this reason (among others). Compensation for non-Labs employees has always been lackluster. MC uses the benefits allowance to make their weak pay structure appear more robust, but when you crack the numbers and really look at everything, the employee comes up short to what HR promises. Specifically, their lack of sick pay makes their generic PTO allotment really weak. Companies with separate sick and vacation time offer more time off than MC's generic PTO which makes it difficult to take vacations because you need to cover sick time from the same small pot.
