Three unfortunate words..."It's All True" - Anonymous employee BuzzBee Employee Review

1.0
20 Apr 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

There are some really great people working together in congress within project and account management and the teams producing the work, who truly believe in doing the best work possible for the client. The team is willing to get in the trenches and make the impossible happen against all odds. The quality of the client work produced by the team is solid despite being constantly stress-tested by poor planning and unnecessarily squeezed budgets and timelines.

Cons

Fortunately for me, the quality of life issues listed below are in my rearview mirror. But for those considering employment or freelance opportunities with BuzzBee, they are important aspects of evaluating for yourself if this is a good place to associate yourself with. #1 - CEO's volatile, unpredictable, and divisive behavior in the workplace, which results in a very uncomfortable work environment for FTEs and freelancers alike. She has an industry-known track record of throwing physical tantrums and full-scale screaming episodes in the work environment - it far predates my personal experience. This is not a matter of "if it was a male CEO, being aggressive would be accepted". It's a matter of an underdeveloped despot taking the mantle of CEO without demonstrating the requisite leadership characteristics to consistently excel or even maintain equilibrium. Turnover is staggering. The team counts only 10 FTEs today. #2 - Unrealistic deadlines and/or budgets committed to by sales (largely driven by the CEO) and then handed to delivery teams to make it somehow happen . This occurs constantly and causes major problems with project management and delivery teams, but it is de rigueur. It's such a great team committed to client happiness that everyone is willing to put in the extra time, but as a result it burns everyone out. As a freelancer it can greatly affect your ability to manage unpredictable starts and stops on your time that affect your work for other clients.

Explore other reviews about BuzzBee

5.0
9 May 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Flexible, inspiring and neat projects.

Cons

Employees that whine and bring down morale.

1
avatar
BuzzBee Response
10y
Thanks for being a part of the hive! More fun projects and clients in the pipeline, stay tuned.
4.0
13 Jul 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The small company environment allows for flexibility, creativity, wearing many hats and an opportunity to be involved in the business at many levels. Overall, I would say pay and benefits were fair, possibly even above other agencies. I really enjoyed the ability to work from home and have a good work/life balance. A big pro to BuzzBee is that you get to work with the Creative Team with some of the brightest, smartest people in the business! BuzzBee definitely tripped, feel down, and now is back on two solid feet as new life and new clients have been acquired. I worked at the company during tough times, but it was great to see how people formed a team and were given a chance by the leadership team to perform. Acquiring new clients have helped chance the work and has allowed for a new dynamic to form (for the better).

Cons

I was often unsure of processes because it felt like they were changing often, but I feel that was also related to the evolution of the business. The Microsoft book of business can be a tough one and the clients are demanding, but I wouldn't say that is a fault of BuzzBee - just a fair warning.

5
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