Pros
1: If you are exclusively an IT support specialist or a call center circuit runner, this place is the best in London for experience building. 2: There is no shortage of work to be done. From what I've witnessed, Start is looking at years before delivering on many of its projects 3: Middle management fights for their employees, its almost all they literally do. 4: Free Internet is included with your employment benefits, which is nice. You can also get phone services or other company services. 5: One of the only private sector companies dedicated to deploying fiber optic technology to the homes of Londoners. They are a private firm investing in private infrastructure. Its actually really nice to see. 6: The CEO/Owner is a visionary, he knows what he wants to do and can see the industry trends well before the curve. 7: Lots of parking options around the building
Cons
1: The entire company is locked in interdepartmental warfare constantly vying for power at the expense of the sanity of others in the company. One executive is probably the worst when it comes to this as some members brag about getting their way instead of doing whats right on a regular basis. They also remind people to their face they can fire them at a moments notice. Expanding further on the above, the company culture is touted as being superior to other workplaces, but it's really poisonous. Management uses the "company values" to suppress any feedback or defense by suggesting you aren't a team player instead of providing a straight answer. Said values are completely vague and can be used to shut you down as if they are all mutually exclusive. 2: There were literally 0 processes or user documentation. There is a corporate lore based on verbal legends and tales, meaning everything is a giant mess. Nothing is organized, documented, or communicated to the appropriate extent it should be (if at all). 3: I have witnessed Executives bully, berate, and demean their employees to the point they were in tears in the washroom. When the executives were confronted and informed by the ENTIRE corporate team, we were told we were being the bullies. The CEO/Owner and executives created a hostile environment for everyone working at that company that month. One executive faced multiple sexual harassment complaints, multiple bullying complaints, and constantly threw his team under the bus. Whenever my peers informed the executives, the complaints went to the director they were reporting about, and the buck stopped there. 4: The CEO and COO (owners) hire their friends regardless of their core competencies. Departments that are run by one of their personal friends are treated with a hands-off approach, removing accountability. The departmental executives show a token amount of concern, but most of them have no idea what they are doing when it comes to managing people and often act to the detriment of their own teams. Furthermore, half the executive team formed a numbered corporation and bought the building Start now resides in. Now they charge their employees $100 to park there. When this fee is referred the Executive team cites the "Property Owners" or "Landlords" instead of themselves. They pay most of their staff a dollar above minimum wage and they won't even admit the dollars are padding their pocket. 5: Project deadlines don't exist, and if they do, they are unattainable. Teams task switch on a weekly or daily basis. 6: Start will pay you less than your peers to save a buck The peer beside you could be making up to 15% more than you even though you do 50% more work. This is the case for most of the departments. When you confront the company they will turn the blame on you and abandon their values when convenient. 7: Your boss will most likely won't know how to do your job, or they just won't get in the trenches with you. When I was asking for a raise at my annual review, I was told that my compensation was actually high for my industry, even though a modest search on the internet and a discussion with former peers reveals Start actually underpays its talent. During my yearly review, I asked both my manager and the same executive to explain what my job was. They both failed to do so, but somehow knew what my compensation review should have been. Start Managers are often the "Do as I say, not as I do" types...