- Stressful client relationships (most customers are at least somewhat unhappy with our work)
- Everything has to be done as fast as possible (measured in hours instead of days). For example we got in trouble for switching sitting assignments around because of the time it wasted.
- Deceptive interviewing process (the job wasn’t what I expected). One small example is asking during the interview process about sit-stand desks. I was told I could have one. When I started, they could me I could buy one with my own money and bring it in myself.
- Pay is poor (the founder doesn’t agree with market rates)
- PTO is poor (12 days PTO and 8 holidays)
- Employer doesn’t respect two-week notice (they may just say your last day is the day you let them know)
- No career growth plan or path (employment review is a 30-minute walk with the founder that resulted in no action)
- Very little collaboration with everyone working on different projects. For example, the team I was on had more projects than members of the team.
- They said they cared about people until it was inconvenient. For example, one coworker had cancer and his treatments prevented him from being as available as expected. They didn’t want to lose him, but they didn’t like paying him during cancer treatments. They decided the best approach was to transition him to a contractor to avoid paying him during difficult times.
In general, this is probably the worst employer I’ve ever worked for. My wife has noticed significant improvements to my mental health since quitting.