1. Arbitrary Return-to-Office Policy
Snap Tech mandated an inflexible return-to-office policy (vs. hybrid WFH), despite our work being entirely doable remotely. Appointments? Family responsibilities? The hours of unpaid commuting? Gas money? All shrugged off. The hypocrisy made it worse: WFH was perfectly acceptable during on-call shifts, when it benefited them. But when it made employees’ lives easier? Then it was a problem. Cutting WFH unnecessarily complicated our lives in many ways. For me, it meant losing the flexibility to attend certain recovery meetings. The leadership’s unstated belief was that our lives outside of work didn’t matter. Any commitment to work-life balance was purely lip service. In the constrained situations they tolerated WFH, it was always begrudgingly—“you get what we give you”—instead of caring to truly meet employees’ needs.
2. Metrics
The service team performance metrics were divorced from reality. They seemed to be based on business goals, irrespective of on-the-ground realities. We raised this concern at nearly every meeting, and it was consistently ignored. Naturally, many employees would therefore game the metrics to some degree. I don’t blame them. When you’re stuck between unrealistic targets and punitive middle managers, “creative accounting” is just a synonym for “job security.” Perverse incentives.
3. Pay and Promotion (or Lack Thereof)
We were discouraged from discussing wages (haha). Cue the Streisand effect. The employee salaries I know fall squarely in the “lower than I thought” category. They do offer holiday bonuses and incentive pay. The bonuses aren’t insulting (or exciting). Thankfully I wasn’t around long enough to qualify for incentive pay, so I can’t comment on that.
Don’t expect promotions. They fill nearly every role with external hires. I only know of two employees who were promoted internally (after jumping through an unreasonable number of hoops).
4. Double-Tap Written Warnings
Several employees, myself included, were targeted with “double-tap” written warnings—two formal reprimands issued at once. A third means termination. So, you walk into a meeting thinking your job is secure and leave knowing you’re one mistake away from being fired. It’s the most toxic management tactic I’ve seen.
In my case, I can remember no prior discussion, no informal guidance, no verbal warnings—my two written warnings out of nowhere. It was my first morning back after a week hospitalized and less than an hour after the insurance company refused to reimburse a cent of it. Between the incurring this huge debt and my employment being thrown into question, that morning was the worst work experience of my life.
5. On-Call and Compensation
I didn’t know the details of individual contracts, but I was inadvertently told how much Snap Tech charged one client for my after-hours support. Naturally, they billed more than my hourly pay, with an added premium for after-hours work—fair enough. This is capitalism, baby.
But knowing that number made me question the fairness of the entire on-call arrangement. I’ve abandoned my own birthday party, canceled therapy, and rushed out of recovery meetings to handle tickets. And for all the stress and disruption? Base pay plus zero dollars. I acknowledge our positions are salaried, but it never sat right that we made sacrifices while Snap Tech made revenue. I’d have been content if our salaries weren’t so anemic. If it’s “just part of the job,” that’s fine. Add $15,000 to each on-call worker’s salary: now it’s priced in.
6. Noncompete Agreements
Snap Tech makes rank-and-file employees sign a noncompete agreement. They aren’t using groundbreaking technology and there’s no secret recipe. It’s just MSP work, using the same tools as any other MSP. The agreement seemed less about protecting the company and more about scaring employees into staying. I don’t care if it’s standard practice, pro forma, or Snap Tech doesn’t enforce it. It has caused multiple employees concern when eyeing better opportunities. I don’t think it’s right.
7. Biting My Tongue (and Internally Screaming)
I had a thought several times at Snap Tech: “I am so thankful that I’m a man.” I can’t share details, because it’s not my place to tell others’ stories. But I’ve seen questionable things with my own eyes and been told much more in confidence. I’ll leave it at that.
