Toxic culture, CEO is questionable as a leader - Director of Marketing Netwoven Employee Review

1.0
Aug 29, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Walt was by far the best person I worked with at Netwoven, he was humble, dedicated, and always made a point to connect with me on a personal level. The pay was probably slightly above average, but not worth the toxic culture endured.

Cons

I sat on the executive leadership team so I have some valuable insight into the culture. Terrible HR policies including extremely limited vacation time as well as docking you hours where you "owe" them hours, it was not uncommon for almost everyone I spoke with to have negative vacation hours. The burnout was incredible. Because of this, they also lost good people along the way. I got sick with Covid and was out for 10 days and they took this out of my PTO claiming "We have no sick days at Netwoven, only PTO and once that is gone you don't have any more time off" by the way that is 14 days total, sick time and PTO. When I quit I was negative 22hrs of vacation and they stated they owed me no more money on my last day of resignation and just called it "even". They don't trust you. Since they're a Microsoft company they send you a laptop where they have full control and visibility over everything you do including your browsing history, hours your online, how much your using your computer, apps you use and files you save, I wouldn't put it past them to also have camera access so I made sure to close my laptop every night. Extremely unsettling how much they spy on you, don't trust you, and don't hold any responsibility for employees to be accountable, they won't even give you the chance to be accountable. Salaried employee? Expect to put in your hours you worked each week like you work at retail hourly job. You will log each hour you worked each day into a system salaried or not. Now on to the CEO, we worked very closely, I reported directly to him. While he is a fantastic and super nice guy in person, outside of work, his work ethic leaves little to be desired. He is a work-a-holic which is not uncommon for CEO's but he kind of expects everyone else to follow along in that regard. My biggest hurdle with him was trust, he never trusted me, in fact, I would say he doesn't trust many on his team and is very controlling of every aspect of your day-to-day duties. It was not uncommon for him to have 3-4 meetings a week with me, im sure a CEO of a biz like this can spend his time elsewhere, it almost seemed like he wanted to do the job of marketing. I was micromanaged to death and he even openly admitted this as a fault on many occasions and while he would let up for a bit, he would go back to his old ways of just riding you every chance he got. On many occasions I was belittled by the CEO with remarks like "I don't think you've ever done this" or "I don't believe you" when I would give my professional opinion or guidance on a subject. I have 20+ yrs of experience btw and did not take kindly to his insults. He is extremely aggressive in his behavior towards everyone on the team and before I left, on multiple occasions, tried to persuade me into quitting. You can't pressure employees into quitting, you can't say things like "Well, maybe you shouldn't work here" or "Maybe this just isn't the right fit for you" you either fire people or you don't say those things to them. HR can look up "Constructive discharge1" in the CA law code for reference on this behavior. My team was remote in India and while im sure they're fantastic people in the region they reside in, if you want to be an "American" company, you need American marketers. There are simply to many cultural differences to have a fully remote marketing team in a different country trying to market to Americans. I spent more time reviewing/fixing/training employees than I did actually doing important marketing work, most of this was grammar or technical concepts that weren't grasped easily by these employees. Any time you are ever on a call with the CEO expect him to open an excel file and you're somehow supposed to do your job now with that info. Everything is manually pulled from excel sheets which makes reports a nightmare. And the CEO wants reporting, that's like his big thing he wants, yet he won't pony up the money for something like a centralized CRM that shows that information. He's extremely reluctant to use anything outside of a Microsoft product even though I showed him our competitors were using other technology. We were forced to used Dynamics and it was still broken when I left. I was the sole person in charge of launching the CRM project with zero experience in it and time and time again brought up to the leadership team they needed to run bringing on a CRM like an external project so it got completed. It never did. I urged the CEO to bring on Hubspot on many occasions and he once told me "Don't ever say the word Hubspot again" so if that gives you any kind of idea what you'll be dealing with in a marketing role, this is it. We lost a lot of employees to competitors because they simply had a better workplace and benefits. We also lost a few really great people for no other reason than burnout and ego. Everyone was expected to hit these crazy, lofty revenue goals with zero actual plan on how to do it. The marketing team was expected to perform literal miracles and on many occasions was directly blamed for revenue not pouring in or for other departments not hitting their sales goals.

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Netwoven Response
2y
We are very sorry to hear this about your experience with Netwoven. We value all of our current and former employees' feedback and would love to connect with you to discuss further. Please feel free to reach out to our HR team at any time. We wish you the best on your future career endeavors.

Explore other reviews about Netwoven

5.0
Oct 19, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I was an intern for Human Resources at Netwoven this past summer, where I closely worked under Carrie McFadden and Tracy Mayer. Since I am still a high school student, I wasn't initially familiar with Microsoft applications. However, with their assistance, I became an expert in them by the end of the summer. They taught me valuable skills, such as using Excel spreadsheets, organizing information for creating meeting slides, and collaborating on ideas. I had the opportunity to engage in activities beyond my typical 9-5 work routine, which was highly beneficial for me as a teenager seeking work experience and preparing to apply for college. I was welcomed to attend meetings, which provided me with insight into the hiring process and the behind-the-scenes work of the HR department. The employees at Netwoven were incredibly welcoming, and they treated me as an adult as opposed to a teenager. I will forever be grateful for all the things I learned and the experiences I gained as an intern at Netwoven.

Cons

It is hard to write about any cons of working at Netwoven because my experience was perfect.

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Netwoven Response
2y
We are happy to hear that your Internship with Netwoven was filled with valuable learning and positive experiences. Thank you for your feedback and we wish you best on your professional journey.
5.0
Sep 1, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Having dedicated over 11 years of my career to Netwoven INC, I can confidently attest to its status as an exemplary workplace. Joining as an Engineer in 2012, my journey here has been defined by a multitude of advantages. First and foremost, Netwoven INC stands out for its commitment to its employees' well-being. The company offers exceptional benefits and on-site perks, ensuring a high quality of life both professionally and personally. What truly sets Netwoven INC apart is its unwavering support for career growth and continuous learning. The company fosters innovation, encouraging employees to explore and adopt new technologies, and keeping our skill sets current and relevant. Flexibility is woven into the company's culture, allowing for a balanced work-life approach with flexible work hours. Credit goes to the exceptional management, whose leadership and vision create an atmosphere of collaboration and progress. I must also commend CEO Niraj Tenany for his exemplary leadership. His guidance and strategic direction have played a pivotal role in making Netwoven INC the outstanding organization it is today. In essence, Netwoven INC is more than just a workplace; it's a nurturing environment that empowers its employees, promotes innovation, and ensures a fulfilling career journey. I find it challenging to put into words the depth of my connection to this organization. With over 11 years dedicated to my career here, Netwoven INC has seamlessly woven itself into the fabric of my professional life. It has truly become an integral and cherished part of my journey.

Cons

I am at a loss for constructive criticism as my experience at Netwoven INC has been consistently positive and fulfilling. I have not encountered any issues that would compel me to reconsider my commitment or explore alternative opportunities.

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