Lost Potential - Recensione dipendente - Store Manager presso Otte

Very friendly staff and nice working environment is; accepting of new ideas for projects

Staff relies way too much on interns; a bit disorganized

I worked at OTTE for 3.5 years starting in 2013. At the time, the company was growing at a steady pace. Upper management was strong, with a VP who was interested in growing the company's business and developing employees into strong leaders with key skills. Though pay was not great and benefits were minimal, it was an exciting experience and a great chance to grow professionally with the company. I was able to develop management experience and grow out a team underneath me, and while the hours were sometimes long, there were other times where they were average or easy and there were plenty of opportunities to attend events, shows, and network within the industry. We completed some exciting projects, shoots, and new business opportunities, and I learned a lot working under this management structure.

Current management structure is very poor (new leadership as of Nov 2016); senior management has little to no leadership or management experience. No direction or future plans for growing the company. Company culture used to be strong, but is now lacking; little interaction between departments, and office/stores. Management does not take the time to develop employees and help further them on their career path with the company. Benefits are poor or non-existent (no retirement, minimal health coverage that is expensive to employee, no commuter benefits, etc). No clear plan or structure for how to collaborate or manage within the company. Budget is minimal to nonexistent for most departments, which makes completing projects or proposing new projects extremely difficult. Management says they want to maintain or grow, but when asked has no answer to questions about how they are going to grow revenue; continually says they just want to cut costs at this time while avoiding giving a straight answer.