Vantaggi
I've been an employee at smartShift in the US for several years. In that period we went through an occasionally painful transition in order to focus the business plan on core services where smartShift has sustainable advantage, realign internal operations for efficiency and scale, and divest non-strategic lines of business, This included shaking up and replacing management and realigning divisions. The result is a nimble organization, responsive to customers and the market, executing with a clear business plan, and achieving our goals and targets. Change of this type takes courage, vision, and competence. The management team has a track record of success and is willing and able to work hard and make tough decisions. The results of this effort are now apparent as smartShift continues to grow and achieve our goals. smartShift is a meritocracy where individuals who are willing and able to drive growth and go the extra mile for customers can achieve great things. This is not a place for the complacent or those who don't want to be challenged. If you aren't comfortable with some ambiguity and aren't willing to step outside your formal job description when the need arises, you should look elsewhere. I enjoy being challenged and smartShift is a place where I find lots of opportunities to contribute and expand my skills. smartShift in the US is a flat and geographically distributed organization. This means easy access to management and executive team members but also means geographic separation from colleagues. In my case that also has meant flexibility to work from home, allowing me to balance work and family in a role where that can be challenging. Another big pro is that we have viable, patent protected products and services that make money now and are run by a fiscally responsible management team. We're not, like many startups, burning a pile of capital in the hope of creating a viable business. We're a viable business already and accelerating our growth further.
Svantaggi
There was a lot of change, especially within the first half of my tenure, to ensure the company was oriented for success. Change has not been universally good for everyone here. Consequently, you will see sour grapes on this site. I respect the opinions of individuals who found themselves faced with high expectations in an organization that was different from the one they joined. I also respect the necessity of the change that occurred and the courage of the management team to make hard decisions in the interest of the larger organization. These changes are now far in the rear-view mirror and the organization and strategy are stable. The majority of the US staff work remotely, spend some of their time at clients, and occasionally split time at our offices. Coordination with our teams in Europe and Asia is a daily occurrence. The virtual nature of this work may not be as appealing as rubbing shoulders with a fixed team in a single location for some people. It also makes communication more challenging. I, however, love the flexibility it provides, the ability to work from home to help balance family demands, and the cultural opportunities. Also, since our office space is through WeWork, I can drop in and grab an office or conference room whenever I need one, both in-town and in other cities as well. We're a smaller company with a global presence. The support processes that exist at larger organizations are not as available but, on the flip side, problems that might be intractable at a large organization are solved quickly. We occasionally do have to deal with the issues that broad geographic distribution and the resulting differences in cultural norms can create.
