Meaningful Work, But Disconnected Leadership
Pros
The Fuse office had incredibly fulfilling products and initiatives. I truly felt like I was empowering people to live healthier lives, and was making meaningful and measurable differences. The team I worked with was talented and down-to-earth. Leadership did a great job over the past couple of years building up associates that would make the company an enjoyable and rewarding place to work overall.
Cons
Above my manager, trying to engage leadership felt like running headfirst into a brick wall. There was often "analysis paralysis" - our team would need something, and months would go by until a decision could be made. By that time though, it was too late. Almost all companies have budgets for things like work from home stipends, team meals, etc. Fuse does not. It requires CIO approval to get a team out for a meal. You have to put in a special request with several rounds of approvals to get something as trivial as a peripheral for your computer. The red tape is exhausting. Lastly, leadership seems to believe that their name and "startup" building carries more appeal than it actually does. Local talent no longer needs to look for opportunities physically close; and as a result top talent will have no issue finding companies with more compelling pay and perks.