Too Many 'Wannabe' Chiefs. Not Enough Indians. - Anonymous employee Fanatics Employee Review

1.0
19 Nov 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

• Laid-back dress code. • Company revolves around the world of sports. • Free bagels on Fridays, semi-frequent team outings, and catered lunch on Wednesdays to 'high-performing' (revenue) departments. • It is the largest eCommerce company located in Jacksonville, FL, so comparatively, it's great place to work. • If you have a high tolerance for passive-aggressive behavior, it's a great place to work and build a career.

Cons

• Uninspiring low salary, especially compared to industry averages. I now earn $17k more annually for the same job type, but with an exponentially smaller (manageable) portfolio of clients. • Passive aggressive work-environment where chaos is the norm. The extremely fast-paced environment is not a symptom of the "sports world" but rather, it is the result of inexperienced management and immature policy. • Horrible communication skills, despite having state of the art communication tools at disposal. • Given incorrect job title that did not reflect my responsibility, ability, or workload compared to industry standards. • HR repeatedly spelled my name wrong, even on my notice of termination. My badge repeatedly had the wrong job title/department printed on it. • The title 'Manager' or 'Lead' is given out effortlessly to people that don't have any experience or skill in managing people. Just because you do well at your job or your department is meeting it's goals, doesn't mean you are qualified to be a manager or director. • Most management below the executive team (middle management) lacks any prior experience managing. Instead of coaching employees for improvement, management resorts to formally writing up, making false accusations out of defense, or firing for personal conflicts or minor disagreements. • Minimal, haphazard, unorganized training in entry level position. Forced to spend personal, unpaid time to learn several essential job functions. • Workplace bullying, berating, belittling, alienation, and retaliation due to any disagreement with management is tolerated. HR continually sides with management, despite written proof of false allegations or proof of wrong doing. • Lacking in any management training programs or code of conduct compliance training for those in positions of power. • Lacking drug testing for employment, which allows for drug users to work at Fanatics. • Witnessed several managers smelling of alcohol on the job and incidents of employees appearing to be under the influence, which is a symptom of not requiring drug testing for employment. • Most managers/directors suffer from what is known as 'bias blind spot.' They conveniently have the ability to spot mistakes in others, especially when their own reputation is on the line, but lack the ability to spot mistakes of their own making. • Cronyism, especially in middle management and employees that have been with the company since it was Football Fanatics. • No positive feedback from manager or director, except for the first few weeks on the job, despite our department thriving. • In my first week at Fanatics, I witnessed a manager with pornography on his computer. Others witnessed it too and we complained about it to my director at the time. The manager was not even written up for it and he is still employed in the same position. • I had evidence that one of my old managers was working directly with a key competitor, supplying assets/images for their website. When I presented the evidence to HR, it was ignored. The product images are still on the competitor's website and the manager is still working at Fanatics. • Within a week of being written up for 'performance issues' I was fired. I was given no warning prior to my write up, had no clue I was being vetted for performance issues, and was not under the impression I was going to be fired. I supplied factual evidence that the performance issues were false, but the evidence was ignored. My manager lied to HR, claiming I did not report my work as asked and that I didn't make improvements. • PTO was taken away, despite working from home on several occasions. • I was not reimbursed for travel expenses I incurred for a business trip.

Explore other reviews about Fanatics

5.0
30 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Part of Fanatics Betting and Gaming -Work/Life Balance: managers really stress keeping good work/life balance. When I told mine that I had to work a couple extra hours to finish something before a sprint they told me to take another couple hours off during the next week or so. Also, half-day Fridays in the summer! -Remote work. -Smart, driven developers. -Good benefits package.

Cons

-A bit of a start-up nature causes some odd, sporadic development blockers. Not a big enough deal, but can be an annoyance.

5.0
26 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

This is specifically for Fanatics Betting and Gaming (FBG), as I can't speak on the other lines of business. - autonomous work with the freedom to really put your stamp on projects - minimal red tape, allowing you to execute and move swiftly - full remote culture, with the expectation to respect employee calendars - stability- the company is careful not to overhire and retain its employees - the people- despite being remote, I feel close to my team and work around people who really believe in the mission and products we provide

Cons

- Remote work is not for everyone. If you aren't letting management know what you are working on, it can sometimes slip through the cracks. - Full autonomy is a double edge sword. It's fantastic for those who feel like their work is often hindered by unnecessary red tape, but it can be a struggle for those who work better with a set structure and routine. - Technology has been improving and the commitment to leveraging AI tools is encouraging, but there is still a bit of manual work still that can lead to human error. - benefits and pay are fair here, but you have to dig a bit to fully utilize all the benefits we have.

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