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A note from the me, Stefan, the owner: I'd like to address these points one by one.
1. "Management does not communicate with lower tier employees."
We provide several avenues of communication including weekly team meetings, an emailed summary of the weekly meetings of the highest-level of leaders in the organization, and a feedback system that can be anonymous if the team member wishes. We utilize the Traction/Entrepreneurial Operating System ("EOS") and it prescribes a Vision/Traction Organizer that is helpful in showing everyone where the organization is AND where it is going... both in the near-term (next 90 days) AND the long-term (5 years).
This is a small business - it is not a corporation. You are a person here. You are NOT "just a number" here. Your direct leader is usually no more than 10 steps away, if that. I pride myself on having an open door policy, and I have offered (and will continue to offer) to answer anything. I believe efforts are being made at great communication, but it must be received AND applied in order to be effective.
2. "There are zero benefits there."
While we don't currently offer health insurance, we do offer: a 401(k) match program (you have to contribute to your own retirement to get the match), a flexible time off policy, a paid "volunteer time off" structure, and a short-term/long-term insurance policy that is 100% employer paid.
3. "They claim to "care about employees" and then act the opposite."
We have paid for mental health counseling and therapy sessions for employees who needed a little extra help to get through a tough time. We have a chaplaincy program that is open and available to employees and their families. We have paid for the yard to be mowed when someone was on short-term disability. We have changed oil, rescued co-workers from a flat tire, helped swap a car battery, we've taken people out during the day to make pottery, we've taken teams out for lunch/ice cream, multiple Allevia employees have shown up on a Saturday to help a coworker load a U-Haul to move out of an apartment, and the list goes on.
If these items don't meet the definition of caring for employees, I'm not sure what does.
4. "Zero chance for advancement."
We have grown from 22 people in August of 2020 to 44 people in June of 2024. There have been SO MANY opportunities for many people to advance in their careers here and become leaders and/or become the best technician they can be.
You cannot, however, show-up on day 1 and expect a promotion. You have to "cut your teeth" or "earn your stripes" - whatever you want to call it - to have the opportunity to advance. If one cannot master simple tasks, how can one be expected to master the complex ones?
5. "Just run, this place will make crazy promises and never follow through."
Late last year, I sat down with every employee that had been here over a year and personally developed a "3 year development action plan" ("3DAP") with them. I listened to over 40 people say where they wanted to be in their career in 3 years, and I helped them build a plan to execute over the next 12 months to help them get there.
Professional development is kind of like raising kids: you can teach and coach them, but when they inevitably leave the house, it's up to THEM to actually do it and make it happen. I can teach, coach, and paint a vision of roles in the future... but it's up to every employee to actually accept that coaching and improve.
Finally, regarding the Operations Director, he and I have the same job, just performed differently. We hold people in the organization accountable to our mission and values. If you had a "run-in" with him, then it is most likely because you were not upholding the mission/values of the organization.
My goal is to create a culture where everyone "flourishes". I truly hope you find a place where YOU can flourish!
