Signs of Change - Creative LEad Studio 216 Employee Review

Excellent opportunity to flex creative muscles and work on groundbreaking new Mixed Reality features. Wide range of project types keeps things interesting. Friendly and highly knowledgeable co-workers - great to work among pros with extensive background and expertise. Regular meetings, great project management, extensive communication, and a suite of online tools helps set expectations and keeps things running like a well-oiled machine. Open office environment, with the occasional office dog - plus a $3000 espresso machine that makes those coffee breaks feel extra special.

Having many short-term client projects keeps things interesting but doesn't give much time to fully explore creative solutions or implement features that require extra time. Suggestion: build in some R&D dev time either for the client project or to explore between projects to add to in-house capabilities. No meeting rooms make private conversations or phone calls difficult, especially when it's raining outside. Suggestion: if possible, build a small meeting room - even if only big enough for 2 people. Urgent client needs or pressing deadlines sometimes translate working late nights or weekends. Suggestion: this one is difficult and often unavoidable - continue to manage client expectations while giving them a great experience!

•Coworkers are hard-working and easy to get along with •Most projects are short term so no matter how crazy things get, it's over quickly •Casual workplace •Espresso machine in the office

•Owners can't say no to clients, so ridiculous timelines are agreed to without any regard for the employees' current workload •During interview process and one on one meetings, owners tells you what you want to hear and then disregard your feedback in favor of processes that they've been using. Very little positive change occurs •Owners frequently check out (wouldn't respond to emails, texts, etc from anyone in the office) for hours at a time, even during chaotic deadlines and with pending requests for their approval while they were "working from home" •Owners treat employees as replaceable. They do the minimum as far as compensation and benefits go to keep people from leaving, while at the same time, keeping their workload at a 'burnout' pace •Although the company is 10 years old, it feels like a bad start-up. Confusion and poor management decisions by the owners on an almost daily basis •One of the owners was disrespectful to several employees on multiple occasions and was prone to outbursts (yelling, pounding the table with his hand, slamming doors) •No upward mobility possible. They expect you to bring your knowledge base and skills to the company without any plan for your development or personal growth. You're urged to share your technical knowledge and experience at past companies with the production team overseas to develop their skills, then you're basically used as an intermediary between clients and the production team for the remainder of your employment