Where to even start with this place. This company is 10 years behind every other place. They never make any proactive decisions, only reactive. They don't care about the employees or their lively hoods until they are forced to. Most managers are highly unqualified for their roles.
Here's a laundry list of things that are wrong:
1. Coworkers have made sexual harassment allegations and have shown management and HR proof of it happening multiple times. I won't get into many of the details here, but know there was a plethora of evidence of sexual harassment happening and nothing was done about it. Complaints were taken to HR and people only receive a metaphorical slaps on the wrist. Gradient claims to have a zero tolerance policy for this kind of thing. They do not enforce it. Upper management should be ashamed of themselves.
2. Pay is well below market rates, and the only way to get a raise is to receive an offer from another company and give it to management as proof of your worth. Raises most years are only 2% to cover inflation (but that won't stop the company from spending frivolously).
3. Even if you want to leave Gradient for another company in the finance world, they may fight you tooth and nail on their "non-compete" agreement. You may even receive a threatening legal letter in the mail.
4. Benefits package is a joke. Health insurance is expensive ($200/month for a $5000 deductible plan). 401k match only matches $1200 per year, and has a vesting period for three years. If you leave before three years, you get none of the match. And guess what, this company didn't even have a 401k match until a year ago. That's right, a financial firm that is in the business of insurance and investments, didn't even have a retirement plan worth anything until recently (and it's barely worth anything).
5. Upper management still believes in quantity over quality in the number of hours you put in. They believe people who only put in the minimum of "40 hours a week" are only doing the bare minimum, no matter if you are completing all of your work and doing it well. Mind you, this place is never that busy, and it's very rare that anyone would have to exceed 40 hours.
6. You are required to be at your cubicle for 8-9 hours a day. Even though it's been proven that many workers are much more efficient when they don't have to commute just to sit in a cubicle all day, no one is allowed to work from home but most everyone in that office could do their jobs from home. Upper management thinks most of the employees would just slack off. Seems like a big lack of respect and trust.
7. The marketing department is often referred to as the "arts and crafts" department by the CEO and sales teams. Not in a cute and funny way but in a derogatory and demeaning manner.
8. Everyone is salaried but are required to punch a clock still. And yes, management will micro manage your clock. Are you 3 minutes late? They may ask you to use PTO. This is not a joke...sadly. Did a blizzard snow you in or did your car not start in -50 degree weather and you are late because of it? Probably would have to use PTO.
9. Management. Some upper and middle managers are unqualified for their roles.
10. There is almost no growth for employees here. Professional development is lacking. Some managers have started to take initiatives to rectify this, but most haven't.
11. Management writes Glassdoor reviews to cover up the negative ones.
12. Communication throughout departments is severely lacking.
13: Turnover is incredibly high. Employees leave the first chance they get. Not because they were fired, but because they found better opportunities and companies that aren't still operating like it's 1985 (the grass is DEFINITELY greener).
I will stop there. I could rant for days about the negatives of this place, but it's draining. Only take a job here if you absolutely need a paycheck. Most of you can do better than this place.
