I came to this website prior to my interview and had been under the impression that a small number of disgruntled employees write the negative reviews. As a result, I took the positive reviews to hold more weight, and I accepted the job without evaluating my other options.
After more than half a year with the company, I learned that a majority of the positive reviews are likely "reputation control" efforts being made by upper management. There is such a stark contrast between the positive reviews in defense of this company versus the more critical ones due to the blatant fact that SI does a horrible job keeping their employees happy (or even content for that matter). It seems that upper management would rather confuse prospective employees by contrasting honest reviews and criticisms with unjustified claims* of this being "an excellent place to learn and grow professionally". Perhaps they feel the need to do this because of their high turn around (notice WorkNOLA constantly has ads for SI)...
- Management is out to save their own necks and will throw lower-level employees under the bus to do so.
-- Unless you are good friends with someone in upper management, you will not go anywhere in this company.
-- Management will hold even the tiniest of mistakes against you during your review. I have seen management bring up incidences that occurred months beforehand (of which didn't seem like a big deal at the time). This is their way of justifying a pitiful raise (50cents) or lack of a pay increase altogether.
-- You can't trust anyone higher ranked than you to have your back (even friends). Upper management, senior marketers, and team leads would rather see you take the fall for a mistake they are partially accountable for than to stand up for you and take some responsibility.
- Production employees are despicably underpaid.
-- Sure, SI may claim that they offer competitive wages, but for the amount of pressure and micro managing, SI doesn't seem to grasp the concept of "you get what you pay for". They should be investing in trying to motivate their employees or at least allow them more time to produce quality work.
-- Newly hired Account reps may have the same qualifications (sometimes less) as a tech/content team member, but reps typically start at $14 while Tech/Ed IMAs typically start at $11.
- All employees are micromanaged beyond the point of reasonability.
-- You are forced to "time track" every move you make, from using the toilet to grabbing a coffee. Your productivity is measured by this tracking tool. If you are off by a few minutes on the time you spend on a task or two, then you will be penalized during your review.
- When SI moved from Oak to the CBD, management boasted about this being a solution to the over-cramped desk space. As SI continues to grow and hire at this (suspiciously) rapid rate, employees are being squeezed together just as tight as before. Everyone is also required to use a circa1990 keyboard and monitor set, and so fitting anything personal on your desk is impossible. The desks are so small in width that it is impossible to rest your entire forearm and the most space you have with the person next to you is just enough to extend your elbows.
- SI was named among New Orleans City Business' "Best Places to Work" this past winter. When the issue came out, however, many of us were flabbergasted at the benefits and starting salary listed in the article. According to City Business, SI employees have full health insurance coverage with dental, but this is a lie. The article also stated that the company's average starting salary was $46,000, which was another blatant lie. And, it was extremely frustrating considering that more than a few employees were starting at only $22,000 and could only hope to see a few dollars added to their wage after at least one year.
- With how quickly I was hired, this company seemed to good to be true. And, trust me, it is. I would not wish this job on my worst enemy.
*I am willing to bet that there will be a positive review posted a few days after this one - Management, once again, will be doing some "reputation control".
