VALD Reviews

Pros

- Good mentoring (gave me skills that I still use now at my current job when mentoring other developers) - Excellent tech stack - .NET/Typescript/React which is used widely in the industry - Well established development structure since the last year or so - have proper lead developers and an engineering manager in place - Given it's an established startup moving onto medium sized business now, there are plenty of new projects to work on, so you will always be moving onto different projects to challenge yourself in whatever project you do - Given the industry is sports tech, job security is quite good, given the current climate of redundancies - Food was great and plentiful, I can't seem to get make my own hollandaise sauce for the life of me as well as the VALD chefs do. You can claim this as a food allowance during EOFY tax time and it also saves you time from making your own food!

Cons

- Parking is an absolute pain unless you come early in the morning. However, if you are a developer, you can work remote quite comfortably nowadays so it's not a big problem if you live far away - Might be difficult to get promoted upwards in management now as they already have an established hierarchy of development leadership - Technical debt but I do believe this is now being addressed with the new structure. It has improved in the last year so this is gradually being addressed

Pros

Ambitious and inspiring vision Cutting edge of MSK technology Grounded in values Diverse and motivated staff

Cons

Not a con at all, however it's important to understand that since we are a company scaling at a very rapid pace, there are growing pains. To work here, you must be a motivated self-starter and not expect everything to be handed to you. If you see an issue, it's incumbent upon you to address it or bring it to someone's attention who can. It is a dynamic environment and requires a level of ownership and accountability that some may be unaccustomed to.

Pros

- Collaborative workplace - Awesome breakfast and lunch

Cons

- Micro-management - Limited work/life balance - Male-dominated environment - No HR: Nowhere for junior staff to voice concerns - High employee turnover

Pros

VALD is a very fast-growing company, which means that the work is very rewarding, and unsurprisingly the expectations are also very high (that is the part that's not for everyone). Staff are given a lot of independence to make their own decisions and taking initiative is rewarded. New job opportunities regularly arise because of how quickly the company is growing and internal promotions are common. The team is great - I really like everyone I worth with both on a personal and professional level. The work is also genuinely very interesting - the opportunity to work on new health and sports technologies like VALD's is essentially non-existent in Brisbane and new projects are constantly popping up. Having worked on developing new products for some time now, I can confidently say there aren't many companies like VALD out there. The flipside is that expectations are very high, so the work can be stressful at times, particularly coming up to deadlines. I've done a fair few late nights during these periods. However, I've never heard of any high-performing environment where that wasn't the case, and for me the payoff is worth it. There is nothing quite like delivering a new product to market then seeing it outperform expectations. Reading some of the negative reviews on Glassdoor, I feel like some former staff have blown these stresses out of proportion. I don't deny these people have clearly had a very negative experience, but what some of them describe just doesn't match anything I've seen in my time there. For people considering employment at VALD, I would not let these put you off taking an interview - they should just reinforce that VALD isn't for everyone. If you want low-stress work from 9-5 and limited responsibilities outside of that, VALD is probably not for you. If you want challenging, fast-paced work, freedom to make decisions, working with other high-performers and the opportunity to work on some really exciting tech, VALD is probably the best company you could possibly work for in Brisbane. Speaking for myself and a few others I'm aware of, I think the remuneration is at a very good level without being right the top of the market. Seems like every review on here also mentions the perks like the food, coffee and gym. I don't think they should be the main reason you take a job at VALD, but they are great.

Cons

VALD is growing very quickly. There have been over 100 new staff added since I started. So unsurprisingly, many processes and systems can't quite keep up, which can sometimes lead to inefficiencies and miscommunication. But the systems do continually get better over time, and I think this will continue to just be a minor downside to all the exciting things that come with rapid growth. And again, the work can be pretty stressful at times, but I don't think it's possible to achieve really rewarding things without that.

Pros

Have only been here for four weeks but the team has been so warm and welcoming. I read below there was some questioning comments around the culture and it being a boys club but I have not seen that here. Im Terms of my experience, it has a great work life balance where I’m out the door by 4. People are from all walks of life who are respectful, hard working and we have times where you can have a laugh. I have worked in big corporate all my life and moving here was a big leap but I don’t regret it. Leadership are not micromanagers who are approachable and friendly. They have trust in me to get the job done which is really empowering. I am getting to work on exciting projects and I’m not being held down by over governance which is what I have been used to my whole life which is a nice change. They have chefs and barista on site which is a big plus (my wife is very jealous) but don’t think there is some ulterior motive here with being in office 5 days a week as you can work from home as you see fit. The building is clean and have some cool things like a driving simulator, basketball, table tennis, gym (I don’t have excuses now to attend one) and massage therapist on certain days.

Cons

I don’t personally have anything bad to say, there is only pros and haven’t seen or experienced anything which is negative in my view.

Pros

- Working at a tech company focused on making a difference to people's health is very satisfying - Great people to work with - you'd happily sit down and have lunch with anyone - High quality work is valued - Fast paced and flexible, focused on solving problems for clients - Subsidised lunch and coffee makes such a difference. Work from home and the first coffee of the day costs more than my lunch at VALD. The quality of the food is beyond good for the number of plates served per day.

Cons

- The fast paced nature isn't for everyone, and can take a little bit of time to adapt to. Once you do, you thrive with the pro's above.

Pros

Great team members Discounted breakfast and lunches available with salary sacrifice Promising tech

Cons

Team members are fantastic, they're talented people who are generally stressed and fearful of the executive team for the following reasons; 1. Team members are constantly walking on eggshells in case they say or do something that upsets the CEO. 2. There are sexist remarks and women are judged on their appearance. I have overheard discussions where some of the leadership team (all males) were deciding whether certain female team members have a "Mum-bod". 3. There are cliques - those who are "included" and everyone else. Those who feel "included" in the inner circle of VALD take it upon themselves to report what other team members are doing and passing judgement and gossip along to the CEO and executive team. They stab you in the back while smiling to your face. 4. The Founders consistently give conflicting instruction. The CEO wants one thing, the other something else and you're caught in the middle. It's a no win situation. 5. You try to address your concerns to deal with issues that have arisen and you're told to suck it up and that's just how things are. They aren't interested in improving the culture or dealing with sometimes serious situations. They dismiss you as not being a great fit for VALD. They only care about making sales - no matter the cost. 6. Most people don't even make it to a year at VALD. The churn is extraordinary as they just burn through people.

Pros

The culture at VALD is all about making work a place you want to be. As someone who has worked at many places, I know that this goal is pretty hard to achieve, but it works here. Shared meals and company toys (the ping pong table is very popular) are a start, but it's the time and resources spent in sharing the vision of the company that makes you feel part of it all. I feel very motivated at work because I understand how my contribution is making a difference. From a technical career growth perspective, VALD is keen to do what is required to make our products and systems better. I am constantly encouraged to investigate new technologies and methodologies, and I never feel rushed to release something before it is ready...I've switched my focus on a technical level since arriving, and have enjoyed the challenge immensely. To get the most out of VALD, you do need to buy into the culture. Maybe it's not the place for everyone...but if you want and are keen to work hard, in an environment that rewards initiative and teamwork, then it's a great place to be.

Cons

The food is good, it's hard not to eat too much ;)

Pros

- Very welcoming and friendly team - Collaborative and team focused - Allowed for flexible hours whenever needed - Leadership team has been super friendly - Always checking in to see what can make my working experience better - Super affordable and delicious food provided at breakfast and lunch times - Have enjoyed playing in one of the many company social sports teams - Super interesting and fun products that we get to interact with within the office - Are always looking to improve their processes and aren’t afraid of change

Cons

Nothing at this time. Have really enjoyed my time at VALD :)

Pros

VALD is a forward-thinking organisation with an incredible energy. Positives for me include working with a motivated and supportive team, the opportunity for growth as the company expands and the ability to work around my family commitments. Working for VALD has many perks such as in house chefs, a barista, masseuse etc. More importantly, it is led by co-founders who genuinely care and generously invest in their staff in order to see their team grow and thrive.

Cons

No cons, however, management are approachable should I need to address an issue.