Pros
The benefits and training budget were generous for an entry-level position. I was able to go to a few out-of-state conferences during my year at APPRISE. My coworkers were fun and awesome, and there’s a very collegial environment among the employees.
Cons
The President leads by fear rather than by love or care, and they often expect you to know what to do without any further explanation. I sometimes received constructive feedback, but negative reinforcement was much more common than positive reinforcement. Every minor infraction leads to major reprimanding and is likely to be mentioned at every single quarterly review for the remainder of your time at APPRISE. Speaking of these quarterly reviews, they are advertised as a way to receive feedback, but in reality, they are humiliation rituals where the President beats you over the head with every little mistake you have made since you started at APPRISE. The President insisted that we could always go to her if we had any questions. However, whenever I asked her a question, she acted like I was stupid for not immediately knowing the answer. If I had not asked the question and took the wrong course of action, I would have gotten reprimanded anyway. The company advertises that working at APPRISE has a strong work-life balance, but several employees are forced to work more than the maximum 40 hours per week. The President assigns much more work than is feasible in such a time, but if it is not completed, you get reprimanded for being “inefficient.” You can expect an email from the President complaining about your “lack of productivity” if you don’t work those extra unpaid hours to finish your work. If you try to complain or present concerns, this will be shut down immediately because there is no accountability structure for the President. Because the President was my direct supervisor, I felt constantly micromanaged and had no room for error. Every small mistake you make (or even phrasing an e-mail in a way they don't like) will get noticed and will get restated back to you at every possible opportunity. I was chastised by the President for having trinkets on my desk. She took a picture of my desk (which included pictures of me) without permission, and stated that the trinkets were why my work “had problems.” When I informed the President of my resignation (with more than two weeks’ notice), she got angry and said I was being inconsiderate. She could not see the irony of why I left in the first place.