Zones is a company where the financial bottom line is the only thing that matters. There is absolutely zero loyalty to employees, with people frequently being fired who have worked at the company between 10-20 years. They fired over 400 India staff in 2018 with no notice, moved those jobs to Pakistan so they could save money, then claimed their increased bottom line was due to higher revenue instead of through savings from paying less to the new Pakistan crew. Because you frequently need to train and deal with your Pakistani counterparts, there’s a very real chance you’re training your replacement, as opposed to strengthening your own position. Your job is NOT safe at Zones, ever.
Zones is technologically roughly 5-10 years behind their competitors, and only now (in 2020) have begun taking steps to modernize their ailing techno-infrastructure. People who come to Zones are appalled by how far behind the company is in tech compared to comparable companies in the field. There are few opportunities for career advancement due to the way the company is structured. That’s not to say there are zero opportunities, but as is often the case in Corporate America, it’s more about who you know and have rapport with than it is about getting the best person for the job.
Upper management is deaf to the complaints of the employees, and though they claim transparency, very little actually changes over time. Company pay is abysmally low compared to competitors, with Zones offering roughly 40-60% of standard industry pay for comparable jobs elsewhere. This is not an exaggeration for dramatic effect. The COO flat-out admitted to the company in meetings their low compensation choices were purposeful, and instead chose to praise the unseen perks, such as not having to commute as far to get to work. It’s hard to retain fresh talent when a job half an hour further down the road pays quite literally twice as much.
Management has a fairly high turnover rate, with new managers coming on and being tasked with the whims of upper management, while not listening to the experience of boots-on-the-ground employees in the trenches. To be fair, the managers at Zones do their best, but are ridiculously overburdened with tasks and responsibilities. You couldn’t pay me enough to work in middle management at this company.
All of that said, the job location really is off the beaten path, with the headquarters located in Auburn, WA. Travel to and from is relatively painless compared to working at larger tech firms further down the road. As with all companies, there are some shining stars and great people who work there. Still, that doesn’t make up for the significant lack of pay, lack of upward mobility, and lack of treating employees as their most important resource. You’re a cog in the wheel of progress at Zones, and that’s it. Caveat Emptor.
