A very troubled company - Anonymous employee MIR Employee Review

I was laid off at MIR due to the COVID pandemic. There isn't a day that's gone by that I haven't thought about MIR, my colleagues, and my work. I miss them all. MIR was an outstanding place to work for those like me who love Eurasia, Russia, and Central Asia, and who love helping travelers discover these amazing places through MIR's tour offerings, marketing, videos, and stories. It's my hope that when this pandemic finally ends and people can travel again, that they will seek out MIR to fulfill their travel dreams in this utterly fascinating, hidden part of the world. I may no longer be there, but a dedicated, resilient MIR staff will be...

The physical location of MIR is in Seattle's historic district -- a transitional area where you need to be careful outside 24/7. MIR's top management was very understanding of this situation, and allowed me to start work early and leave early while it was still light. Much appreciated.

Smart, funny, enjoyable co-workers. An international, well-educated group. Good, competitive salary. I’ve appreciated the opportunity to learn a huge amount about the part of the world that MIR travels to. Since I began work here, I’ve been on eight one-to-three-week international trips, all expenses paid, including salary. MIR has sent me to Poland, Lithuania, Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Western Russia and Siberia, and Iran. Since a rash of employee resignations in 2015 and early 2016, the MIR management has spent a lot of time and effort reaching out to employees for suggestions about what needs to change and what would help them retain the talent that has been coming and going here. We each received an extra week of vacation, as well as a day off on our birthdays. The management is much more willing to listen to concerns and address them. The owners can be intimidating, but they have made a real commitment to listen to and consider the employees’ concerns, and the work atmosphere has improved, in my opinion. It’s not easy to let go of micromanaging when you’ve grown a company from a tiny firm with a few employees to a flourishing global enterprise with more than 20.

One problem that we’ve had during this travel season is that we’re understaffed, and some employees are overloaded with responsibilities and stressed out. The management has been actively searching for and interviewing prospective employees, but sometimes job seekers come to Glass Door, read last year’s reviews, and are discouraged from applying or accepting a position.