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Full-timePart-timeThe benefits are terrific, as is the work/life balance (in 26 reviews)
Good work life balance, good benefits (in 19 reviews)
not much career growth established yet unless someone leaves in upper management (in 8 reviews)
It may seem that it provides a collaborative work environment; however, it is very distracting, making it hard to concentrate (in 8 reviews)
Helpful (12)
I worked at Bloomberg BNA full-time (Less than a year)
Pros
If you like chocolate there seems to be an endless supply here, they also have fruit on offer.
Cons
Too many to list, but for the benefit of those looking to work here I will try to be neutral.
I can only speak for the UK London office, Sales training is SHOCKINGLY awful. I mean - there is no sales training, you have some videos to watch and some tests on product knowledge, and then you basically come in and the sales manager goes on calls with you, which leaves you with little room to breathe.
Other sales managers might be different, but they are all based in the US, the sales structure is strange where there is just one team dealing with sales outside of North America.
So no room to progress if you want to move into management you have to wait for people to leave.
Treatment of contractors is equal to treatment of second class citizens. Its appalling to see really.
Leadership in the office have zero interest in their own employees well being. A lot of fake sincerity and lack of authenticity at the top which kills the motivation of employees. Also leadership sits in glass bowls away from employees - the power distance is ridiculous.
No one is happy. I mean no one on the permanent staff seem truly happy. There is a sense that they are all desperate to leave if an opportunity came their way.
There are toxic employees too - those who just complain, and emanate with negativity, because they have worked at BNA for years management can't get rid of them.
The office is deathly quiet - no one talks, no communication. And when I say no communication I mean it - think about the repercussions regardless of what job you do if people don't talk?
Too much unspoken resentment for the MD. Toxic.
Advice to Management
Adapt or perish. General inability to adapt is not helpful, you need to change the attitude of we have been doing sales like this for the last ten years and will continue to do so...landscape is changing so incorporate new ideas and listen to employees. Failure to do so will lead to eventual collapse.
Communicate with your employees, get to know them, what makes them tick. Really try to build a culture of open communication, because its a basic human requirement.
Start firing people. I know its not easy - but there are some people in that office that never do any work. Or do very little. They need to be held accountable.
Change the seating plan.
Treat people with respect.
Helpful (7)
Pros
The products seem to be well respected in the market and I found a lack of outsized egos.
Cons
The office 'atmosphere' is moribund, there seems to be a lack of effective leadership and employee engagement.
Advice to Management
Clearer and more charismatic leadership needed.
I have been working at Bloomberg BNA full-time (More than 3 years)
Pros
Private company willing to fund compelling ideas.
Cons
Stiff competition in market can create some cost pressures as with any company.
Advice to Management
New CEO in place. Continue to focus on culture and focus resources more on the future.
I worked at Bloomberg BNA full-time (Less than a year)
Pros
Work life balance and great products
Cons
Constantly changing leadership and restructuring.
Helpful (3)
I have been working at Bloomberg BNA full-time (More than 5 years)
Pros
I work in product development, so I can only comment from that vantage point.
Since being acquired by Bloomberg several years ago, BNA has brought in some talented and motivated people. The overall level of technology expertise has definitely gone up. The company's effort to streamline and modernize the product line is well-intentioned, if not always well executed.
Cons
A lot depends on which team you end up on. Some directors and team leaders have a much higher quality of leadership than others. People who are rewarded the most all seem to have a background in sales or marketing. It's a very sales- and marketing-driven organization, not a technology-driven one. There are some ugly politics in some corners of the company. The product development organization as a whole pays lip service to some methods, especially Agile Scrum, without honoring their spirit, thus missing out on many of the benefits. The office environment can be unpleasant -- hyper-open, with lots of distractions and often no opportunity to focus.
Advice to Management
Listen to your engineers, not just your marketers and sales people. Continue to modernize and streamline the product line. Push back on unreasonable requirements, especially from executives who are disconnected from the day-to-day operations. Cut the politics. Offer better support for working remotely.
I worked at Bloomberg BNA full-time (More than 3 years)
Pros
Talented and educated co-workers. Good benefits. Free food.
Cons
I can't speak for the rest of the company or different departments but in the Software division, there could be a lack of flexibility in terms of hours or remote work depending on your boss (or how much they like you). Policies were not consistently applied across the division. This department seems to compete with large name companies and get Enterprise level customers without hiring enough people or providing resources to be successful. A general lack of concern for customer requests and a lack of funding for legacy products. Few women or minorities in positions of leadership. A strategy that talks about innovation but is far behind in comparison to the products and offerings of its' competitors. Management also needs to understand how to pivot the product and strategy if it isn't working. Spending tons of money on products that don't sell at the expense of retaining customers on ones that do. So much potential but poor execution.
Advice to Management
Provide resources and hire enough people.
Helpful (1)
Pros
The free food and coffee is great and it is a beautiful office space. Some of the newer people are fun to work with.
Cons
There is basically zero upward mobility. The territories are closed with limited earning potential. Management doesn’t really care about the employees.
I have been working at Bloomberg BNA full-time (More than a year)
Pros
Very good environment for young employees. Great launching pad. Central to many different facets of DC business.
Cons
Quickly changing goals and management
Helpful (9)
I have been working at Bloomberg BNA full-time (More than 10 years)
Pros
health plan, near metro stop, vacation time
Cons
compensation, ethics, integrity, leadership, professionalism,
Advice to Management
Management should learn how to treat their employees professionally, and stop discriminating based on factors that have nothing to do with job performance (age, race, sex).
Helpful (2)
I have been working at Bloomberg BNA full-time (More than 3 years)
Pros
The benefits are terrific, as is the work/life balance. There is also a great deal of diversity-at least at the union and managerial levels. You will develop strong, lasting relationships with the people you work with, and because of the benefits and work/life balance, you'll be working with them for awhile.
Cons
This is not a place to grow a career, but to maintain one. You will also not have a lot of job mobility. The likelihood of you setting the world on fire here is low, but the trade off is a more measured, more stable work environment, and a work/life balance that I've never experienced anywhere else in my career. There's also something of a generational divide, both between the 'old guard' from the Bureau of National Affairs and the new Bloomberg people, and between the age groups. Millennials looking for excitement are pretty much out of luck. The different divisions don't really communicate well with one another (and in at least one division, within,) and so you are frequently in situations where well-meaning, hardworking people are stagnating on projects because of that breakdown in communication. Because nearly everyone in the company is highly educated, you will encounter ego issues on occasion.
Advice to Management
There seems to be a push towards an ideal of "excitement" and "new!" "young!" at the company, when the products are anything but (and probably shouldn't be, considering who we are selling to.) It's fine to be the stable, boring, measured company. Not everything needs to be "innovative." I think the image of excitement is dissonant to the reality of stability, and that really can't help with recruitment. Be who you are. Attract the people who want that stability.
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