Novell Reviews

I worked at Novell full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – work/life balance. In other words, lots of people pretending to be far busier than they really are.

Cons – the constant, unrelenting stream of negativity from all around.

Advice to Senior Management – too late. Products used to be great but now they're poorly developed and bloated to meet analysts/Gartner requirements.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

I have been working at Novell

Pros – There are some long term and enthusiastic customers

Cons – Novell is a has been company. No clear strategy or vision. Very political.

Advice to Senior Management – Leave

I have been working at Novell

Pros – The salaries are pretty good. I've been looking to move elsewhere for a while, and I haven't found any comparable positions at other companies where the salary is anywhere near. I've worked with some of the smartest, most socially adept people I've come across, but sadly most of them have been made redundant in the last two years. Some people at Novell are allowed to work from home, coming into the office only when necessary. I think that's a good thing, as they've told me it allows a lot of flexibility in working hours. As long as the job gets done, it doesn't matter when it gets done.

Cons – Career advancement, and professional growth. Every year Senior Management trots out the employee engagement survey, and one of the things that normally comes out of it is that these topics are something employees are not very happy with. They promise to do something about it, and then the next year nothing's happened. I've never been asked by any of my managers where I want my career going, or what training I think I need to grow profesionally. This isn't just me being lazy and complaining - Senior management always say that these conversations will be initiated by "your manager" over the course of the year.

Plus, it doesn't feel like a safe place to work any more. For the last four years or so, nobody feels safe in their position, as sweeping redundancies go through. It's gone past the point where they separate the wheat from the chaff - now they're throwing the wheat out too, as there's no chaff left.

Advice to Senior Management – Haven't a clue. Don't really care any more

I have been working at Novell full-time for more than 8 years

Pros – - Great colleagues to work with
- Nice on-site cafeteria
- Great work-out facility
- Excellent vacation / sick policy
- Flexible - family oriented environment

Cons – - Lack of raises
- Little to no opportunity for advancement
- New management team struggling after acquisition
- Benefits getting worse (401k match, health insurance options)
- Aging workforce, lack of innovation - new blood needed
- Competitive environment and declining sales for legacy products
- Bonus system that rewards everyone equally regardless of contributions

Advice to Senior Management – Allow for some differentiation / salary bumps to retain key people. Work on hiring younger engineers to bring in new ideas.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

I worked at Novell full-time for more than 8 years

Pros – Company used to have a great vibe, awesome management, competitive salary and bonuses.

Cons – After Attachmate acquisition, much of the management and employee knowledge went out the door with the lay offs that occurred. Left existing employees carrying huge work loads, benefits got worse, little to no raises. Morale became bad and management either didn't care or was unable to take any action to change anything.

Advice to Senior Management – Treat your employees better.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Novell full-time for more than a year

Pros – - Work culture is very good. You will be respectful here.
- IDC is one of the best development centers. Some of the best projects of Novell are based here.
- Relaxed atmosphere, good office infrastructure
- You can find a lot of employees who have stayed here for very long. Despite of being from top colleges and who can get a job in any of the top-notch orgs, still have been with Novell.

Cons – - Compensation goes for a big toss.
- Company struggling with continuous re-orgs happening.
- Loosing the attention of analysts.
- Very few new products in pipeline. So work is mostly maintenance,
- Many great employees who have stayed the with the company for a long time are leaving now.

Advice to Senior Management – Well, Novell is dead. We have to accept it. You have to just figure out the murderers now.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

I have been working at Novell full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – kind of work, company culture

Cons – environment is a little negative

Advice to Senior Management – too many of them

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Novell full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – Upper level management is down to earth.

Cons – New products are in infant stage

Advice to Senior Management – View every position as revenue generating.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

I have been working at Novell full-time for more than a year

Pros – Product is excellent but no proper marketing or support as they dont pay properly for support and marketing

Cons – You never know when they will take you out of the company

Advice to Senior Management – When employees dont want to leave the company also. They will force you to leave and dont even care who they can survive

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

I worked at Novell full-time for more than 8 years

Pros – Great coworkers, and beautiful campus.

Cons – Tough market position, and questionable leadership.

Advice to Senior Management – Run it like a business.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend