Pros
Mission to electrify transportation attracts idealistic, like-minded colleagues who want to do good in the world and are generally kind and respectful.
Cons
The CEO says it right out in the open in a blog post linked from the “careers” page about applying for a job with REACH Strategies. Pay careful attention: “We’ve learned that whether or not someone might like working in our environment is a bit of a yes/no proposition … rather than being something that we can necessarily teach. If you are the kind of person who inherently understands the importance of what we do and sees the value in how we do it, we’ve heard that REACH is about the best place to work possible. But if that fit isn’t there, we find folks typically like to find something else to do.” In other words, the revolving door is just our quirky little way of doing business, not a bright red flag indicating that something is very wrong. If you don’t like it, leave it. No big deal. It’s not us, it’s you. You’re just a bad “fit,” one more person on the perpetually growing list of the many “folks” who “typically like to find something else to do.” On the surface, REACH Strategies looks pretty good. We care about the environment and progressive causes. We are working for something we believe in. We “check in” with each other at the beginning of team calls. How bad can this possibly be? But beneath the surface, there is an undercurrent of deep dysfunction: a pervasive lack of trust, no delegation in decision making, autocratic “gotcha” micromanagement, unprofessional flashes of disdain, blame and disrespect (in one on one meetings, in front of others, and behind your back), condescending judgements about performance and aptitude, an absence of accountability and transparency. Be forewarned: REACH Strategies serves as evidence that remote workers are at a disadvantage when dealing with dysfunctional management, who by definition tend to exploit that imbalance whenever possible. In a mostly remote workplace, there are no water cooler conversations between colleagues where observations and concerns can be easily shared. When management is disrespectful to a team member in a virtual meeting, sympathetic eye contact is impossible. Getting together over coffee to commiserate is usually not an option. “Was it just me?” is a question that almost always goes unasked and unanswered. The average tenure at REACH is measured in months and not years, a crucial fact that is not included in posted job descriptions. Fortunately for former employees and for potential job applicants, we have Glassdoor to share our experiences at REACH. It wasn’t just you. Not by a long shot. The revolving door business model may have served the business owner’s interests for years, but its days are now numbered. The cat is finally out of the bag. This is clearly an existential crisis for REACH.