Wonderful People, Questionable Management - Developer DB Services Employee Review

2.0
Apr 19, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

* Options to work remotely/flexible work schedule * The other devs/consultants are great, most are supportive and care about you as a person * There's much to learn ranging from project management to full-stack development to personal development * They foster innovation from their employees

Cons

* Deadlines are often unrealistic, putting immense amount of pressure on consultants/developers * Upper management lacks empathy - they make unnecessary comments to employees and talk poorly about employees to other employees * It seems like perfection is expected, when perfection is naturally unattainable - this puts additional stress on employees * A work/life balance is difficult to achieve despite the flexible schedule * The pay isn't very competitive compared to other tech companies * They value client relationships over employee well-being (clients speaking to consultants in derogatory ways are not taken seriously)

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DB Services Response
3y
Thank you for providing such detailed feedback. It is valuable input to consider as we continually strive to provide a positive working environment that is supportive, engaging, and innovative. We are especially pleased that you encountered caring colleagues, new learning and personal development opportunities, and exposure to innovation during your time with us. However, we regret that you found your work experience stressful, as that is definitely not the intent at DB. Admittedly, we work in a fast-paced environment, which we recognize at times can be both stimulating and challenging. We wish you all the best in your future career path.

Explore other reviews about DB Services

5.0
May 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Positive work culture, good work life balance, treat employees well, competitive PTO plan and strong 401k match.

Cons

Detailed time tracking required for staff

1.0
May 5, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Incredible coworkers. - Flexible schedule (after about six months of employment). - Work is varied and fairly stimulating. - The majority of the client pool are wonderful to work with.

Cons

-The CEO is incredibly difficult to work with. Quite abrasive, and at times, will make offensive and nearly problematic comments to employees. -The "middle management" (people directly underneath the CEO) will often tell employees to "do what [CEO] wants or quit," which does not foster an environment of collaboration or acceptance, which the organization claims are pillars of their success. -Termination requirements do not seem to align with the requirements given in the employee handbook, as write ups are not consistently defined as such. -On the subject of improvements, PIPs (performance improvement plans) typically feel less like an opportunity to help an employee improve in their role, and more of a box to check in order to fire them. Many employees have claimed that a PIP is nothing more than a notice from leadership of imminent termination. -Leadership no longer protects employees, often quick to blame developers or project managers or team leads for negative outcomes with clients. A "customer is always right" mentality to the most extreme level. -Internal disputes with leadership are often visible to the entire company, either through public Slack channels. Leadership and the CEO, at times, have openly spoken poorly about employees to other employees. -There is little to no positive reinforcement. Positive outcomes are praised minimally or not at all, while negative outcomes are often focused on in front of the entire company. -There is little room for developers to grow / get promoted without becoming inundated with meetings, which then can cause those developers to get reprimanded for lower output of quantity / quality of deliverables. -Tenured developers that DO pivot often are not given the grace of new developers, even if they are brand new to the "field" they are pivoting to. (Ex: a software developer with two years at the company pivots to the web development team and has little to no prior web experience. That developer is reprimanded for not providing top quality web code on their first web project).

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DB Services Response
2mo
The detail here tells me it came from a real place, and it deserves an honest response. I agree, we have wonderful people. We run on EOS, which means structured one-on-ones, quarterly conversations, and a consistent feedback cadence. When those processes don't land the way they're designed to, we take that seriously and use it to get better. I'm proud that we've built multiple divisions across FileMaker, Salesforce, Web, and AWS. That breadth gives our people real options to grow, pivot, and find where they do their best work. Many of our staff come to us straight out of college, and we invest heavily in developing them from day one, including annual training in leadership skills and up to $5,250 a year in college loan reimbursement. That commitment only grows as AI continues to change the craft, an area we are also investing heavily in for our people. The flexible schedule, varied work, and quality clients mentioned here didn't happen by accident. Those are things we've built deliberately, and we'll keep building on them. We also fly the entire team in annually for DB Days, a two-day all-hands where we celebrate wins and align on where we're headed. The Plus1 program allows everyone to uplift each other daily and typically leads to more positive reinforcement. I recognize that one event and one program doesn't replace the day to day culture that people actually feel. Our people are our greatest asset. You stayed five years for a reason. We're committed to being that reason. Kevin Hammond CEO, DB Services
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