Pros
Employee Resource Groups - finally in 2022. Entirely employee driven, there are Queer, Women, and Neurodivergent groups to create safe environments to empathize, share, mentor, and grow together. - Not much time made, but direct leaders are understanding and supportive of attendance, respectful of privacy, doesn't pressure people, and creates space for these groups in email communication. Paid time off - once vested (1 year of employment) - 4 five day weeks of paid time off. There is a rolling 30 day policy for unplanned time off: + 3 instances triggers a reliability conversation. Direct leadership is compassionate, clear, and open to hearing what is happening in the lives of the team. Professional Acceptance - it is possible to be yourself authentically and fully without compromise, regardless of religion, in my department. I cannot speak for other departments. In my team people actively respond, provide clear and candid feedback, and do their best while remaining professional. Leadership actively encourages development and self improvement through a variety of methods and accepts learning styles based on individual needs. Remote Work for some Not all roles are eligible for remote work. For those that are, Custom Ink has responded acceptably when regarding productivity and accuracy not being linked to physical locations. Again, I can only speak for my department.
Cons
- Compensations is not acceptable. Annual 'raises' are conditional on exceptionally above expectation performance and never more than 4.5%. The performance threshold increased every year during my tenure, sometimes twice a year. If you want to make more than your base pay you must be an exceptional performer. While this was clear at the inception of my employment, the complexity and technical demands of the job have changed dramatically during that time. You won't see performance bonus gains until more than 3 months of consistent numbers. Gains are not applied retroactively. - Executive leadership is not clear and does not care about the team. I don't have room to list all the ways senior leadership has lost touch with employees, so here are top contenders: Location closures, separations, lack of egalitarian support across departments, inaccurate training, prioritizing bottom line over team size, and desire to preserve a +15% growth rate over team health. - At one time Custom Ink was a place to grow your career. In the last 3 years the company has hired more external candidates than internal candidates and lateral moves were universally offered new job titles and teams if you are willing to accept paycuts. - Environmental impact is not treated as a priority. While there's plenty of discussion, leadership instead supports individuals who are willing to volunteer but does not implement additional ideas or dedicate employee or leadership time to these initiatives. - Benefits are no longer competitive. Parental leave time is fmla minimum. There is flexibility in some roles but not all for hours and weekly changes. Multiple instances of bonus potential are not realized or reduced and cited as 'budgetary need' to keep low. When we are busy, leaders are asked to have people shift hours instead of taking time off.
