Being Valued as an Employee – When I started at BrightEdge, everyone was valued as an employee. Most people know you by name very quickly and even though the entire workforce was spread out among different offices, the company felt tight-knit. This is definitely not the case anymore. As the company has pushed towards going public if you are not a “revenue producer” or on a “revenue producing” team, you do not matter. Essentially, if you are not in sales, good luck. Between little to no raises, no true career pathing, and certain teams being essentially lost in the shuffle, it often feels like you are a number and expendable. If you notice, the vast majority of good reviews (both fake and real) come from the Sales side of the house, whereas the negative reviews are largely on the customer side.
Work/Life balance – There is none. Most, if not all, teams are understaffed and are swamped with work. Upper Management will preach work life balance in a meeting, but then will turn around and question everyone’s numbers and demand that they improve. Some teams will be told a 50-60 hour work week is mandatory.
Compensation – BE used to overpay to attract and retain talent. This is not the case anymore. Most employees are making well under industry average. Hourly employees will be giving a low base with a promise of OT to help improve pay. However, OT can be given and taken away at the drop of a hat. Essentially you will need to work 50+ hours a week to make industry average. Salaried employees will be promised quarterly bonuses, however, the majority of the time the numbers required are not attainable.
Employee Turn Over – BrightEdge is dealing with a pretty low employee retention rate. Most people only last between 1 or 2 years before they are ready to move on. The reasons people leave usually revolve around compensation and career pathing. BE is working on solidifying career paths for each team, but to be honest there is not a ton of upward mobility. If you do get a promotion, more often than not it is just a title change and you keep doing the same responsibilities because your team is understaffed and can’t afford for you not to do the same tasks that you have been doing.
