Great Mission but Poor Environment to Work In - Anonymous Arcadia Employee Review

1.0
3 Jun 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Tons of free food - Awesome mission - $100/month for the metro - Good location

Cons

Working here seems very exciting in the beginning - the office is very trendy, there's tons of free food, cold brew coffee, etc. However, the organization is poorly run. There is no sense of direction among teams, as well as a serious lack of real HR. Being a startup, most of the people hired are millennials who might overlook a lack of professional conduct when there are shiny things such as relaxation rooms and snack bars around. But eventually the HR function became very much needed, and things that were reported to HR were not kept in confidentiality or handled professionally. There is a ton of internal politics and voices often do not feel that they are being heard. I often felt as though my managers treated me and my ideas as if they were stupid, to the point where I was afraid to speak up. It stems from a true lack of leadership - many of the people holding leadership positions have had little to no leadership training and very little career experience outside of the company, and therefore, working there feels like a high school environment. It's really disappointing because the mission is so great, but it's hard to see Arcadia achieving true success with how things are run internally. It was a very stressful environment to work in due to all the drama. The pay was average, as were the healthcare benefits.

Explore other reviews about Arcadia

5.0
24 Oct 2025
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Fun culture and great people to work with

Cons

Leadership lacked clear direction and alignment, which often resulted in shifting priorities and unclear goals.

1
avatar
Arcadia Response
7mo
We're truly happy to hear you experienced our fun culture and worked with great people—that team camaraderie is a huge part of what makes Arcadia special! We also appreciate your candid feedback on leadership direction and alignment. We recognize that the rapid changes in our industry and the broader market have made providing a perfectly steady, clear roadmap challenging, sometimes leading to shifting priorities and goals. We are actively working to improve how we communicate our strategy, ensuring our teams have the context behind our decisions and a clearer view of the road ahead. Your feedback is vital as we continuously refine our strategic process. Thank you again for sharing your experience. If you would like to discuss this further, please feel free to reach out to the HR BP team directly.
1.0
15 Jun 2025
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

-Flexible work life balance -Mid level management & below are competent, hard working people

Cons

-Senior leadership is AWFUL. They are addicted to M&A, constantly change their mind about the product direction, are opaque and overly secretive, and constantly deflect blame onto those below them. -Arcadia pivoted away from renewables into consulting and solutions. It is no longer a mission-driven company

3
avatar
Arcadia Response
11mo
Thank you for taking the time to share your honest feedback about your experience as an Arcadia alum. We genuinely appreciate you highlighting the flexible work-life balance and the talent and hard work of our mid-level management and below. These are aspects we actively strive to maintain and improve, and it's encouraging to hear they made an impact on your experience. We hear your concerns regarding senior leadership and the feeling that Arcadia has strayed from its mission. We want to assure you that we remain steadfastly committed to our core mission: putting clean energy on the grid and helping companies find the cleanest kilowatts possible. The past few years have indeed been challenging, marked by significant and unpredictable shifts in both the financial and political environments. These external pressures have required us to make difficult decisions and adapt our strategies, including our approach to acquisitions and product direction, to ensure the long-term sustainability and success of the company. We acknowledge that these strategic changes and integrations have been impactful, and we can assure you that our leadership team is fully accountable for their success and for guiding Arcadia forward. We are committed to transparency regarding the financial health of the business and actively strive to avoid opacity. We share regular updates through monthly all-hands meetings, bi-weekly newsletters, and frequent Slack updates. We welcome further conversation and feedback, and can always be reached through our alumni help desk, which can be found in your offboarding information.
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