The Space
The space is SEXY - corporate high rise, big windows, beer on tap, fancy coffee machines, modern decor.. an absolute wow factor for interviews, happy hours, socializing, and even hosting external events to showcase how trendy and cool the office is, but not built for functionality for those coming to the office to work. With far too few seats, you can often find people sitting in chairs in the lobby and at lunch tables trying to take calls in overly packed common spaces. Who wants to lead a client call next to someone eating a tuna sandwich and 2 college hires talking about their weekend pool parties? Even for the group of practitioners lucky enough to land a desk (new hires are pretty low in the pecking order so don’t expect to have a seat anytime soon), the “open concept” makes it impossible to focus, much less take a client call. If CapTechers are encouraged to be present (in non-COVID times), at least make sure there is somewhere reasonable to accommodate proper working conditions. With not having a desk or opting to work from home, it is easy to fall through the cracks come review time when leadership doesn’t recognize you.
Salary/Benefits
The salary is very competitive for those starting their careers, but once you are in the door the upward trajectory for career growth and salary increase hardly keeps up with inflation rates. The same small handful of employees seem to get promoted again and again while the rest of the office holds on to visions of promotion grandeur teased every few months during coaching checkins. Unless you are lucky enough to become a pet of someone who carries substantial influence, look for promotions to be based on popularity rather than hard work and rigor. Be prepared to work your laurels off, with little to no recognition of your efforts. After several years of going through the process, I still question the formula they use for promotion, despite leadership providing “transparency” in the process that is really only a happy path for a few shining examples.
Leadership
Leaders in the office often use the title and position of power to gossip about those outside of the protected inner circle. A male director once encouraged me to flirt with a male client to further his agenda to win more work, and asked for updates several times after to see if I had made any progress. It was an extremely uncomfortable work situation, but I did not feel comfortable escalating to the HR department as many other confidential matters from coworkers had later been shared in office gossip and I feared for any backlash to come from my vulnerable experience. Even my exit interview quickly turned into a gossip session, with no notes documented from my seemingly very relevant concerns and experiences. Although CapTech has a handful of great “leaders,” very few are actually recognized and put into positions to lead with the completely obtuse promotion process. The annual “playbook” is full of hopes, promises and of course core value buzz words, but is never actually applied in any matter that would benefit how the office is managed.
I will always appreciate CapTech for the growth opportunities I was afforded and friendships made during my tenure. Most of the group that made the culture so special have since left, with even more departing/furloughed/laid off during COVID. With some serious changes, starting from the top down, CapTech could once again be a place where folks feel valued and supported.
