Horrible, horrible place to work - Anonymous employee Folica Employee Review

1.0
May 18, 2010
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Pros - they are internet savvy (as can be seen by the fake reviews touting Folica as a fabulous place to work), there are free products occasionally, the offices are right in midtown Manhattan.

Cons

Folica's first problem is that it hires people to senior management positions that they are unqualified for in order to be able to pay them less (counting on folks to take the title upgrade as part of the compensation package, which they do). Therefore, leadership is spotty at best, capricious and panic-driven at worst. Second, all the folks there are underpaid--you are given a huge spiel upon hiring about how they want you to be a "part owner" of the company, and how others have taken "huge pay cuts" to take this opportunity. This is nonsense. They pay you less and work you more - please note that office hours are 9 - 6, lunch breaks are frowned upon, and leaving at 6 PM even occasionally is cause for dirty looks. The offices are open; therefore, your comings and goings are constantly monitored. There is zero support, zero praise for work well done. Every "issue" that arises is treated as a five-alarm crisis, and blame is constantly placed--there is no sense of "we are a team and therefore this is our issue;" one person will be singled out as the scapegoat and will be alternately ignored and berated by management until the next fire breaks out. If you are the scapegoat more than once, your job is in jeopardy (whether or not you have a good track record). I was lucky enough to escape this, but witnessed it again and again. Nothing is documented, so issues arise over and over again, which is exacerbated by the fact that every solution is short-, not long-term. Senior management is incredibly hostile and unfriendly.

Explore other reviews about Folica

5.0
Aug 4, 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I am currently employed at Folica and have been for over 5 years now. Throughout my tenure, I have seen a great deal of turnover especially with upper management. Unfortunately, in the past we have had a lot of leaders who were self centered and cared only about their personal gain rather than what was best for the company. I see so many dishonest reviews here the past few months from previous employees. I am usually not one to write reviews, but wanted to make sure that Folica wasn’t getting an unfair reputation. Things have changed for the better since the new CEO has come on board this past October. We are all data driven and make smart business decisions. The company culture has changed for the better and we all get along really well. I actually enjoy coming to work for the first time in years. Everyone cares about the future of the company and it comes from the top. The new CEO is the first person that I have worked for at Folica that actually puts the company first. She cares about the products and Folica’s success and not just about her own personal gain or receiving bonuses. She is very passionate about Folica and it shows in her actions. Also, there is a lot of growth potential at Folica. I myself have grown both personally and professionally since joining the company. In any company, your personal experience is what you make of it.

Cons

A lot of turnover over the years, but for the better in most cases.

2
1.0
Jul 30, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The company was brought back from the brink of collapse by the resourcefulness, ingenuity, handwork and customer concentric culture fostered by the GM and the Directors. It was a very collaborative environment where employees where encourage to take ownership. Things were not perfect but progress was being made. After her departure in April 2014 everything went downhill.

Cons

The new CEO systematically dismantled every process, system, culture. values and relationship that Folica had built over 15 -20 years. She alienated the employees, and pushed many of them out to be replaced by her friends who had no experience in e-commerce. She is a very arrogant, irrational and unpredictable. She and her cohorts managed to shrink the company to half its value in less than a year. Revenue has continued to shrink month over month, brands and partners have abandoned Folica, customers base is shrinking, bills have been unpaid for months and employees are being laid off. Folica's future is bleak unless the board steps in to make major changes. This CEO has taken the company from the road to recovery to the road to bankruptcy.

5
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