Had a lot of potential, but fell horribly short - Anonymous employee NewGround Employee Review

NewGround is genuinely a fun and comfortable place to work. The culture has a great sense of humor, and that makes the day-to-day enjoyable. At the same time, I’m challenged in constructive ways that make me better at what I do. The benefits are stellar — pay is higher than industry standard, and the in-office snacks and drinks are a great perk. Leadership truly cares about employees. The COO and CFO are especially enjoyable to work for — approachable, supportive, and engaged. While the CEO lives out of state and isn’t very present day-to-day, he is personable when he’s around. The company’s continued growth and expansion, even without an in-person CEO, shows how well structured and strong the organization is. We also have amazing company outings each year and almost always receive a very generous end-of-year bonus, which makes people feel appreciated.

There isn’t a clearly defined path for promotions or employee development. Leadership is willing to help if you ask, but there isn’t a structured or clearly laid-out plan for advancement. More transparency and formal development planning would make an already strong workplace even better.

Entry and intermediate level positions and employees are warm and kind, and do their best to make the environment welcoming despite the ongoing issues.

NewGround, unfortunately, falls victim to the trap that stops all “good” companies from becoming “great” companies: inconsistent leadership. While the CEO is the same, you’ll notice upper-management, C-Suite, and manager level positions are always changing. This is because working here follows a simple cycle. Someone new is hired to a management role claiming they can fix the company or implement positive change. They offer the CEO up the world on a platter, and he believes them with little to no proof. They then proceed to change department structure, force lay-offs, implement inefficient policies, and drive-away staff. In the three years I was with NewGround, I saw it happen four times. Each time it happened, me and my team always said “man, it’s so unfortunate that this poor team had a new manager come in, fire people, then drive their team to failure. But that won’t happen to us. Right?” It can. It will. It’s happened again and again. On top of that, the company was beginning to lean toward a very strong “generative AI mindset” before I left. If you’re a creative, architect, or independent thinker, steer clear. Don’t look to NewGround if you’re looking for a long-term workplace. They’ll brag about how long their employees have been with the company, but the average employee tenure is, at most, 3-5 years.