An intensely fun young company that really cares
Pros
OwnLocal's respect for their employees is evident in their benefits and policies. 100% health coverage, open vacation policy, no time clocks or work hours, free starbucks and lunch, great company retreats. The company culture was developed on a few simple principles revolving around the ideas that employees are people, and a company is a community. You will feel a real sense of that everywhere from the executive team to your team mates, to co-workers from other departments. They work very hard to build a team that fits together and respects each other. They also encourage you to utilize your open vacation policy so you don't get burnt out ;) The interview process is long and hard, but that's because OwnLocal only hires people they trust with a responsibility, and people that fit in the team. Once you are hired, and given a responsibility, it's up to you to take care of it however you can. Nobody is going to be counting your hours, or watching over your shoulder (unless you're pair programming of course...). Beyond that, you are encouraged and expected to suggest, design and implement improvements to company processes wherever you see opportunities. It is obvious working there that everyone's input is valuable and valued (whether or not there are actually any resources available to act on it). Aside from the team-work and business aspects, OwnLocal is, as I mentioned in the title, an intensely fun work environment. They work in an open floor plan on the top floor of an office building downtown with floor to ceiling windows, filled with bean bags, yoga balls, video games, virtually unlimited snacks, beer, an "upside-down machine" (as we like to call it)... etc. and unless you're trying to start a party on Tuesday at 9am, someone is usually up for taking a break to go down the street for Pinball. The company regularly has what I'm pretty sure would classify as "crunk" company parties and retreats to celebrate milestones or bring the team together into a cohesive community... or just cover the founders in whipped cream.... for fun. There are photos. If you trust yourself to work hard, and get things done, you couldn't ask for a more caring, fun and flexible place to work.
Cons
Being a young, developing company, it is the case, more often than not, that the ideas for progress and development far outweigh the resources available to accomplish it. You will probably not feel unheard, but you may feel frustrated at how long it takes for your ideas to come to fruition if they are things you cannot accomplish on your own. If you aren't willing to work hard, and make the company a priority, you will probably be unhappy. Again, being a young company, the rate of "emergency situations" is higher than you may find at other, larger companies. This situation is improving quickly, as the company grows, but it's still noticeable. Finally, working at OwnLocal is not for the feint of heart... (you'll have to pardon their French) ;)
