-Unqualified Management: many of those placed in team lead positions have none of the qualification or personal attributes required to be in a position of power. There was zero accountability or organization from the management.
-Parking: employees were required to pay for our own parking each day. The options close to the office ranged from $10-$20 per day, which just isn't feasible for most low-level employees. Cheapest option was $4 per day, nearly a 20 minute walk away. I love the outdoors, but not so much at 7:45am in January.
-Culture: one of my main draws to Upper Hand was the highly-touted culture. I truly believe that at one point in time the culture at Upper Hand was great, however that was not the case during my time there. A number of factors played into this, but it stems mainly from unhappy employees. Sales staff were reportedly not receiving commission, web design staff were overworked, and customer service were told to push add-on sales to accounts that had been ignored for months.
-CEO: I can genuinely appreciate that Upper Hand's CEO saw a need in the market and devoted his life towards creating the product, however the constant ego trips and bipolar attitude took a toll. The "Shoe Dog" mentality is a great one to have when attempting to build a company, however it doesn't make you Phil Knight.
-Equipment: it isn't exactly easy being the customer support end for a tech company using a 2009 Mac Book. Invest in better equipment, plain and simple.
-Judgement: it wasn't uncommon for upper-management to throw impromptu get-togethers after hours in the office. Those with families and outside obligations couldn't always stay late to drink beer on a Tuesday and would typically leave the office at the end of the work day. For those of us that stayed, we heard management openly bad mouth their own employees that had left. These non-mandatory events were anything but.
