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Maybe new blood can invigorate this husk - Anonymous employee Telmate Employee Review

1.0
Jul 24, 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Location. The VP of Engineering, Christian McCarrick, is someone who has been needed for years and if he is allowed to do his job, he may be able to fix many of the problems plaguing the company. He has made great efforts towards transparency and communication from the top down. The VP of Engineering, some of the new management and some employees have experience working at well functioning companies, and try to enforce best practices that made those other companies successful. The CEO has been M.I.A. for well over a year, and while that would normally be a negative in a well functioning business, his absence has allowed Telmate to mature in ways that wouldn't be possible with his A.D.D. inspired shifts in focus, and insane micromanagement of everything from what brand of coffee the company is allowed to purchase to which features take priority in development. Many of the developers who remain at the company are generally hard working,

Cons

There is no transparency about the financial status of the company: how much profit the company takes in, what our operating costs are, etc. No relevant financial information has ever been shared with the employees. This is obviously intentional as mature companies typically hold annual or quarterly all hands meetings to discuss these and other topics. No equity or profit sharing for employees. The owners appear to pocket all the profits so they can buy yachts for private cruises around the globe or build private dirt bike tracks on their palatial estates. The company is essentially split into two different businesses, each headed by people who wield power through cronyism and nepotism. This comes directly from the owners of the companies and their lieutenants who are either family members or long time personal friends. The closer you are personally to the owners, the more you're allowed to get away with, and the more likely you'll be promoted into a position of power. The executive and sales teams are like a frat house or good ol' boys club. Very few women have ever been given positions of importance, and it shows throughout the company. The old guard management and employees that have been at Telmate for longer than a few years have repeatedly been allowed to make poor decisions that would not be acceptable to a more mature company. Much of the middle management staff have extremely poor management skills and were assigned their roles out of necessity or cronyism rather than their ability to manage employees. This manifests in bullying of employees or being completely oblivious to the frustrations, needs, and career goals of those working under them. Grossly understaffed in just about every department aside from management which is grossly overstaffed. After a recent layoff of under performing developers, some people remain who were kept around because of tenure, rather than because they are productive employees. The marketing, proposals, and "product" teams have no idea what their products are or how they work, and make no effort to better understand the products that they're selling. People with no technical knowledge or experience are allowed to make decisions without consulting with the technical teams responsible for making and deploying the products. The developers are expected to deliver on the false promises from the sales (and proposals, marketing, etc) teams even when the end result isn't technically feasible or physically possible within the promised timeframe. Certain individuals dream up fantasy products with no anchor in reality, promote those products to customers before they are ever approved for development, then steal people and resources from teams in order to work around the development process for their vanity projects. Often these ideas come from the cronies of the CEO, who will then point the finger at others when their bad ideas and poor planning fail.

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Telmate Response
10y
First, thank you for taking the time to write such a substantive review. I also appreciate some of the very specific feedback that you mention. It is easier to act on improvements with specific examples. One thing that I want to note is the fact that our company is a privately held company that was bootstrapped and does not have any outside investors. Being a private company in this situation in Silicon Valley is somewhat rare. It also comes with some advantages: - We do not have to disclose operational details that could benefit competitors - We do not have to compromise our mission to meet financial goals set by any outside investors. That being said, the owners of the company do have the prerogative to make decisions as they see fit. Our executive team is in place to make sure we follow and execute our strategic vision and manage the successful operations and growth of the company. In direct response to your feedback, the executive team is now planning on holding quarterly “company health & update” presentations. These will include high-level financial and other important metrics and KPIs. Thank you for this suggestion. We are actively looking to implement a “shared success” program for our company in lieu of an equity program. This is one of the top agenda items for the executive team. I will make sure the company is updated on the status. We are implementing a management & leadership training / mentoring program for all of our managers in the company. I feel this is absolutely critical for the success of the company. I agree that we are also understaffed. We have a number of senior positions open and are actively looking to fill them. Any help in this area is greatly appreciated. Thank you again for the feedback. I hope that implementing your and other people’s feedback will help to greatly improve the company.

Explore other reviews about Telmate

5.0
Aug 17, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

People. The people here are amazing. I have rarely met such a dedicated and devoted bunch of people in one place. Level of knowledge is very high and the willingness to learn and take on new challenges is ever present. Management listens to input from both above and below the current position. Perks, food several times a week, massage twice a week, a few other things, but in the end that is not what decides whether the place is a good work place or not. At the end of the day, it is a great place to work. I am excited to come to work every morning, I am excited to teach and learn from my colleagues. I really wish there were more companies like this.

Cons

I can't really think of any "cons". Like any other company there are things that could be improved. I don't think glass door is the place to air them. What I am thankful for is the fact that I can talk about any of these issues with the appropriate people without fear of being ignored or retribution, and those people listen. They actually listen.

2
1.0
Jul 29, 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Handful of good people here that are trying to do great things, but are up against some challenges that might be too big for them. They truly are not only talented and bring good experience, but they clearly have a soul if they can put up with the corruption that goes on here.

Cons

I've been propositioned by 2 senior leaders (who are married)...this is the weirdest thing. It makes me wonder if they are in cahoots. I've never in my entire career experienced anything more unprofessional. There are changes that are allegedly being made and sure, there have been some small updates. Most of it is smoke and mirrors. Our managers that lack experience aren't retaining anything they learn from training. it's just a huge waste of time and so very disappointing to keep the same people and try to teach them how to lead. We need new people. Trying to teach these old dogs new tricks just isn't working. And unfortunately, the company is having a hard time letting them go because of the gross nepotism. Are these leaders delusional or do they just not care about the overall business?

6
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Telmate Response
9y
Dear Anonymous Employee, On behalf of Telmate, I apologize for the behavior of the two senior leaders that you describe in your post. Telmate is committed to a work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. Each individual has the right to work in a professional atmosphere that promotes equal employment opportunities and prohibits unlawful discriminatory practice, including harassment and abusive conduct. If any senior leader or other employee is engaging in harassment or abusive conduct, or is acting unprofessional toward you in any way, I encourage you to reach out to a member of the HR team. I promise you the discussion will be confidential to the greatest extent possible, and that appropriate action will be taken, including additional training or adverse employment actions for any person who violates Telmate’s harassment policy. Respectfully, Human Resources
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