I came to UG at a low point in my career. I was a failed entrepreneur with no relevant work experience. After several interviews, they decided to take a gamble on me and make me an offer as an SEO Associate, a junior position in the marketing department.
I walked into a welcoming office. I was given gifts and my managers wrote awesome, funny emails introducing me to the company.
Unlike other places I’ve worked, I found little political drama or gossip here. Disagreements are settled democratically with intelligent, objective debate. My coworkers are passionate, smart, laid back, progressive, and fun. It’s a very lax atmosphere. There’s no dress code. Some people make their own clothes. Others sport a different hair color every week. It’s a diverse office where creative quirks are encouraged and celebrated.
It’s also a healthy office. Many, including the CEO, are vegans or vegetarians. Every week, we get giant baskets of free fruit- bananas, peaches, pears, strawberries, etc...There are bokashi composting buckets in the break rooms. In the summer, the bike room is packed. There’s a running group, a biking group, and even a planking group.
We’re also a very driven group of people. Despite having a clear vision, there is still a great deal of collective passion for our success, our innovations, and our brand. The vast majority of the people I work with are not interested in simply sitting back and watching the hours go by. They are proactive and full of new ideas and as a result, we are constantly weighing new project ideas coming from people throughout the ranks of the company. The office is very busy; always buzzing with discussion. There’s an energy here and it’s infectious.
When I started here, I quickly caught on to that energy and it drove me to propose new innovations. Most of my ideas were terrible, and my manager explained why they were terrible in the kindest, most empathetic way possible. However, some of my ideas were not terrible, and I was given the resources to execute on them. Results came with time, and I was meritocratically rewarded for my contribution with increased salary and responsibilities.
Our two company founders are not your typical executive team. They are kind, generous with their time, and they encourage people to challenge and disagree with them. As a surprise, they recently rented an ice cream truck and served the entire company ice cream out of the truck window. They even wore stupid little hats. This was a great example of their humility. Most importantly, they are genuinely good-hearted people who care deeply about their employees, our customers, and our impact on the world. To be fair, they care about profits too, but this is certainly not their only focus.
I’ve also been really impressed with the company’s support for my professional development. They’ve paid for several technical classes I’ve taken (SQL, Front End Development, Product Management, etc..) many of which have had hefty price tags. They’ve also paid all costs for me to attend many awesome conferences and local events. This is something I really appreciate, especially because the only thing they expect from me is to share my knowledge with others in the company.
So yeah, if you are considering working at UncommonGoods, I strongly recommend it. You’ll most likely find yourself in a warm, welcoming environment where you’ll have the opportunity to grow. Also, I should mention that nobody told me to write this review. I did it because I genuinely love working here, and I want prospective employees to know about my experience.
