Do Not Work Here - Anonymous employee SpeakWrite Employee Review

1.0
23 Nov 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The exec team disappears for days/weeks/months at a time. Since they are so unpleasant, it is amazing when they are gone - and occasionally you're able to get some work done.

Cons

The entire exec team is closely related family - they will tell you it's a "family company" - be aware, this means they hide the extent of this relation in interviews and don't disclose it even after you're employed. And they do not do any work, at all. They treat their employees terribly - they frequently disappear and can't make decisions, yet micromanage every email you send, making any progress impossible. The product itself is constantly broken and has had no technology updates in 5 years. The core team is awesome but has been beaten down by the exec team. This is where creativity, ambition and hope go to die. Also, in one year, 1/3 of the company left - out of ~30 employees, that's a pretty good indicator of how keen people are to fly out of here. There is also no trajectory for career growth since you won't replace a family member, and the "profit sharing program" is a rotten carrot that is dangled but rarely dispersed (with no explanation, update or communication about whether it's happening). I wouldn't let my worst enemy work here.

Explore other reviews about SpeakWrite

5.0
3 May 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Make your own schedule, so perfect for someone looking to work around their family.

Cons

Quality of jobs received can greatly affect your paycheck.

2.0
11 Dec 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Low minimum hours - I think it was 16 per month - Don't make you pay for a background check, regardless of how long you are employed - Do not require a copy of Word or a pedal (though a pedal is very helpful) - House style is clean verbatim - don't need to include ums, uhs, false starts, as you're producing professional documents based on dictations - Quick responses to job questions via help ticket system and to emails - Typists are not responsible for researching name/place spellings to ensure accuracy - Nice Facebook community for getting tips, answers to questions, etc.

Cons

- Hard to get enough hours, especially if you have a low-hours week, because all the shifts will be taken the next week - Many social work and police clients, so content is often about abuse/violence - Dictations are sometimes poor audio quality -- clients dictating while driving, eating, in a busy office, etc. - Have to schedule shifts in advance - occasionally this is lifted when they have a lot of work available, but it was less flexible than I thought it would be - The pay worked out to about $13 per hour for me at my most focused, and it was not easy -- all their clients have different word lists, style/formatting preferences, etc. - Website style guide is kind of a pain to use/navigate - They discourage taking breaks - you're scheduled in hours, and they want you to not be away from the computer at all for short shifts (1-2 hours) - Hard to export the abbreviations you add in their proprietary software

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