Wilson Elser Reviews

The IT team has had to band together to stand and survive against a tyrant of a CIO. The CIO, Gerard Pento, may be the CIO, but he is the furthest thing from a leader. The entire non-hourly staff is literally forced to work extensive overtime week in and week out to meet timelines that, even though the team and managers clearly state, are not achievable with the resources. And then, when the team is required to document the time they put to projects and operations level work, we are only allowed to put 40 hours. This way, the CIO can report up to his leadership his successes on the back of his slave-driving. And, when the managers speak up against the reporting, he calls them out for being horrible managers to silence them. His entire direct report and non-direct report managers have become a band of yes people through no fault of their own. There is only so long that you can try to be a voice of reason to a CIO that has no clue how to lead. And every time they try and push for change, the CIO buries them in unattainable goals, write-ups, bad HR reviews. All to replace them because he does not want anyone to stand against him. It’s his way, or he will make your life a living hell. No less than 20 managers, 10 project managers, numerous team leads, and operations staff have come and gone under the dark reign of the CIO. The ENTIRE IT staff finally stood together and cried out to HR for help with the countless documented incidents of individual and group harassments, gender bias, and racial discrimination. The CIO even has had previous lawsuits against him for his actions. Six months later, senior leadership has done nothing. They have ignored the complaints—the pleas for help. And the staff continue to run out the door. In todays climate of business, the complete lack of action shows they only care for their bank accounts and bonuses, but also that the employee's mental health, well-being, work-life balance mean NOTHING to them.

I could probably write a horror novel about this place. Three years ago, the firm brought in a new CIO, which was supposed to be the catalyst to bring the firm up to technological standards. Well, leadership has been fooled. Our document management system is from the 90s and crashes weekly, and our computers are just as bad. Only the elite few are given laptops, and even this process requires a board vote. If you cherish any life outside of work (family, friends, vacation), DO NOT WORK HERE. On the other hand, if you enjoy your boss calling you while you vacation on the beach in Bermuda, then this is the place for you. This place is always one step away from a total IT meltdown that will most likely cause catastrophic impact to the business.