A Developer's Nightmare - Solutions Developer Colibrium Employee Review

2.0
Aug 23, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Decent benefits, good people, it's a job.

Cons

Colibrium is trying to increase headcount but is having a lot of trouble, much of which can be attributed to the Glassdoor reviews. You may have noticed a big increase in positive reviews. This is because management has asked us to write positive reviews in order to boost the company's overall rating and attract more interest in working here. You may have also noticed that none of these positive reviews were posted by those holding a developer title. Being a developer at Colibrium is not fun. What's installed on your machine on day 1 is what you get. Requests for additional development tools and extra hardware are ignored. The core product is unnecessarily complex and has been over-engineered in minor areas and under-engineered in key areas. Unit tests are non-existent and there are no testers. Business Analysts are expected to manually test the product, which is extremely inefficient and quite monotonous. I predict that what's left of the developers (most of which have been here under a year) will leave by year's end. For the month of August we've averaged one a week. Colibrium has quite an unstable work environment. The company grew very quickly Q3 2013 and then plummeted Q1 2014. There were multiple late paychecks and benefits were put on hold. Upper management put layoff rumors to rest during a company meeting and then laid off about 25% of the company 2 weeks later. It would have likely been a much higher percentage but the turnover rate is at over 40%, which means many people left beforehand. A large outsourcing company purchased Colibrium's debt in exchange for a majority stake in the company. Since then, many more people have left, including middle management, and there have been no back-fills. We're told the 401K is returning, with a lower company match, and bonuses are non-existent.

Explore other reviews about Colibrium

5.0
Mar 12, 2019
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The organization is made up of some of the most passionate and dedicated professionals that I've ever worked with and its a joy to be part of the same team. The culture is ultra collaborative, and the current leadership team listens to and focuses on employee engagement. The company went through a period of transition a few years ago and has come out stronger and with a better vision. The environment is fast paced, and expectations run high, but hard work is rewarded. Like any smaller company, you have to be willing and able to be a self starter, and not expect to operate in a swim lane. Peak times get busy, and a lot is required of each employee, but I've been in the health care industry a long time and this is an industry standard.

Cons

You can end up with a lot on your plate, and have to remember to come up for air, especially during open enrollment season.

2.0
Feb 24, 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Some people are trying hard to fix the culture. Waffle Wednesdays were nice and the views momentarily distracted from the chaos.

Cons

Company is constantly trying to charge uphill with poor planning and even poorer execution. They're trying to be a better company but the leadership team just doesn't have the business acumen or change management savvy to turn the ship around. It seems that every poorly executed step forward leads to two steps backwards. This, as other reviewers mention, is what leads to the frequent 'panic' modes that create long evening and weekend hours. I would bet my money that the positive reviews are from the few people who are impervious to these antics. If you're interested in working your way up the corporate ladder through hard work instead of how well you can chat up the management team about sports or Star Wars, and you want to use solid business practices to do the job right, then this isn't the right place to work. Otherwise, you can drink the company Kool-Aide and get by, but when your career progresses and you realize this company showed you how to do things the wrong way, don't say you weren't forewarned. Finally, I agree with everyone else who says that work-life balance here is a joke.

7
avatar
Colibrium Response
10y
We're sorry you had a negative experience with Colibrium. Not everyone is a fit for Colibrium, just as we may have not be a fit for you. Thank you for your feedback we will take it into consideration as we continue to grow and build our team. We are consistently working on ways to improve and communication is key. Work life balance is of great importance to us, and finding ways for our team to have a healthy blend is definitely a priority.
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