Pros
None. This place is genuinely horrible. You have to dig for any pros and fool yourself.
Cons
This place has undoubtedly changed within the last few years, and sadly not for the better. RTI absolutely used to be a fantastic small company to work at. It wasn’t exactly a “family owned business,” but there was once a close-knit community and upper management genuinely seemed to care about employees. This shifted after some high-level leadership changes and now what’s prioritized is a harsh corporate environment centered around unhealthy productivity, profit maximization, and the owner’s other business ventures.
Pay & Compensation
The pay is atrocious, starting new helpdesk employees between $16-18 an hour. RTI is struggling to retain some of their best helpdesk talent, and this sentiment extends to other departments as well. There used to be semi-annual bonuses that would increase over time — these have largely fizzled out, and when they do come, they are significantly less than in years past. My own bonus decreased drastically despite my work output quadrupling. Rather than addressing pay, leadership opts to distract employees with food trucks, pizza parties, and inexplicably, two soft serve machines. These gestures are tone-deaf when employees are struggling financially. We want better pay, not ice cream. Yearly raises have also largely disappeared — most people in my department have gone two years without one.
The annual Christmas party has become an occasion for leadership to boast about record profits, only to then explain why bonuses had to be cut — followed by literal dancing. The room’s reaction spoke for itself.
Remote Work & Favoritism
Mandatory RTO is enforced broadly, even for roles that are entirely remote-capable. However, there is a strong culture of nepotism and favoritism — certain individuals are permitted to work remotely or even relocate entirely, not based on performance, but based on who they know. These same individuals are often the least productive. This inconsistency is demoralizing for those required to commute daily.
Management
Management is largely incompetent from a technical standpoint. I don’t say this to be unkind — they may be capable business people — but they are not IT people, and it shows. Many appear to be legacy hires connected to the owner through prior business relationships. To put it plainly, most couldn’t perform basic network troubleshooting if asked. Additionally, there is a serious and ongoing HR concern regarding a member of management whose background raises significant ethical and professional questions that, in most organizations, would have resulted in immediate termination. Instead, this individual was quietly repositioned. This situation has not gone unnoticed by employees and speaks volumes about leadership’s priorities.
Suggestions for Leadership
1. Start helpdesk employees at $50k. Asking college graduates to survive on $33k is insulting.
2. Reinstate yearly raises — without them, there is no incentive to stay.
3. Implement a hybrid work schedule equitably, for everyone.
4. Invest in technically competent IT management and take employee concerns about workplace culture seriously