The philosophy of the CEO is that the best way to manage is to intimidate people. This philosophy is forced onto managers and creates a very unpleasant environment. I feel this is not the most productive way to get the most out of employees.
Employees are drawn in with the fancy offices, interesting projects, and empty promises. The intimidation begins with being required to sign a non-compete agreement. I understand the principle behind a non-compete, but Macprofessionals uses it to keep wages low. I saw many of my co-workers give Macprofessionals plenty of opportunities to treat them fairly. After Macprofessionals refused, they moved on only to be threatened with a lawsuit. It doesn't matter that they were not competing with Macprofessionals because the non-compete is written in a way that prevents them from doing almost any job for 2 years, a career death sentence in technology. Even an employee who is fired because projects ended can not seek employment for 2 years.
Now, clearly this non-compete is unenforceable unless they've changed it since I left. As soon as one employee challenged the non-compete, many others followed. The mass exodus has led to some improved work conditions for some high value employees, but that does not change the poor benefits, greedy management, empty promises, nor exploitative executives.
Be careful what you sign and make sure you get their promises in writing. If your contract calls your commission a bonus, that's code for, "We only give it to you if we feel like it and the amount changes at will." Before accepting a position here, consider whether or not you want your reputation tied to Macprofessionals. The Apple world is small and you don't want someone to refuse to work with you because that means working with Macpros.
