Pros
As an employee of Waxman's small start-up home automation company LeakSmart, I was excited to walk in on Day 1 and meet many friendly colleagues on the Legacy side of the business who seemed welcoming and happy to help with questions I may have had. While the staff was friendly and out-going, there was a definite divide between the "LeakSmart" and "Legacy" businesses. Waxman is a family-run business with many longtime employees, which we all know possess both pros and cons. However, they have seemingly built a community in which most Legacy colleagues truly care and want to achieve the same end goal. I constantly received positive feedback regarding the Waxman Customer Service Team for going above and beyond to help a consumer or rep. This team, in particular, was instrumental in my learning the business.
Cons
I joined the team from outside the manufacturing industry. I walked in knowing I was at a disadvantage compared to colleagues who worked for decades for Legacy Waxman and other LeakSmart colleagues who had been poached by LeakSmart Management from companies like Danze Gerber. However, I was eager to learn and perform well - I pride myself on my work ethic. Knowing this company was an acting start-up, I didn't believe there would be an elaborate On-Boarding Program in place, but I did expect some sort of formal training. To my dismay, I received neither. Day 1 at LeakSmart, I spent 3 hours with the colleague whose position I would cover (she had already quit, but came in to spend time with me). After our time together, I was left a binder with some notes, an email archive to reference and was turned loose. Essentially, everything I learned about the industry, company and product was either self-taught or realized with the help of Legacy colleagues. When I approached my LeakSmart boss with this and other topics of concern, I was told to "talk with HR." He went as far as to reference that since we were "friends" that I should speak with this woman on my concerns. With that, he simply walked out of the conference room and that was that. Additionally, it was a true moment of reckoning for me and my future with LeakSmart. I was discouraged and disenchanted - my boss didn't care to invest in me, to help me learn the position and industry or see me succeed in the role. With his lack of interest in my development, I quickly learned this environment was not a fit for me. During my interview process, I met with LeakSmart Sales Management, and two representatives of Human Resources. I answered questions that were experience and situational based, as well as questions about myself and my background. I was then introduced to the 3 Pillars of Importance: Faith, Family and Health. (At the time, I bought it - hook, line and sinker.) In retrospect, that epitaph made for quite a contradicting story given the inappropriate comments and looks made toward myself and other female colleagues.