This is a long one...
1. Toxic Work Environment: The drama that gets dragged in day in and day out is absolutely ridiculous. It creates the most unnecessary stress on the employees and an insanely uncomfortable and awkward work environment. I am talking about family members (upper management) yelling at each other’s in the office above (or the same office) as the techs, arguing, passive aggression, and even some family members having complete yelling and cussing fits at the employees. Yes, this actually happened more than once. Do not mix family and work relations if you cannot handle it.
2. “I’m right and you’re wrong” Mentality: The CEO absolutely enforced NO OUTSIDE THE BOX THINKING. Why? I honestly do not know why it is considered not okay at Realize to think outside the box and try new ideas. Why can’t someone do something different, quicker and more efficient when it yields the same correct outcome? Just doesn’t make sense to me.
3. Placing the blames on the techs: Everything is the techs fault. No matter what it is, no part of upper management represents the ones doing the client work. No matter what happens, it’s blamed on the techs. Meetings were often called once a week to talk about how bad Realize was doing as a company. How they are “barely scraping by” and blaming it on the techs. The upper management would guilt trip the techs based off of “the numbers”.
4. Profit sharing does not exist: “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is” is a great saying that sums up the myth that is “profit sharing”; It is the complete opposite of that. 2 times out of the year you MIGHT get profit sharing, but that is a slim chance at best.
5. A lot of work for low pay: Techs work around 50-60 hours a week and quite frequently during Saturday’s Sunday’s. On call rotation has techs working 5-7 hours on FRIDAY NIGHT! And none of this is compensated for if you are a salary employee.
6. No flexibility: Scheduling DOES NOT EXIST! They will NOT let you off for ANY REASON! Family emergency, 30-60min appointments, funerals, personal health day, sick days, surgery recovering periods, etc. Of course, no maternity/paternity leave either. I understand planning ahead for a vacation, a day off in the future, etc, but people do not know when a daily emergency, illness, etc will come up in their lives. It is absolutely ridiculous.
7. Insulting pay: Apply for anywhere else. They will undoubtably pay you more for less stress, and will probably be a healthier, more productive work environment.
8. No room for growth: Realize does not have any room for growth. It is a small, stuffy company.
Run away and don’t look back. Realize Information Technology is a joke compared to other local Information Technology companies and career opportunities.
