The CE Shop

2.0

Mar 18, 2020

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

There are some good things about working at The CE Shop. If you’re on the curriculum team, you can work remotely, and the unlimited PTO is terrific (it’s predicated on being able to meet your production goals, which are aggressive). Although you’re working in isolation most of the time, there is camaraderie amongst the team members, and most people are willing to reach out and provide friendship and help when needed. I don’t know if this is true about other groups in the company; it’s very siloed. I did have occasional contact with the customer service reps, and they frequently impressed me with their hard work on behalf of customers.

Cons

Working at The CE Shop has been a poor career move. If you’re interested in a job as an ID there, you’ll be a good fit if you’re motivated by producing quantity rather than quality and if you’re happy being an order-taker even when the orders you must follow violate learning design principles. These are the characteristics needed for “success” as an ID on the curriculum team. If instead you’re interested in authentic respect from your managers, application of valid design that follows learning science research, and opportunities to grow your career, this isn’t the place to be. The CE Shop fails as an employer because of its “leadership team” as they like to call themselves. You must be willing to deal with a combination of ignorance and arrogance from the leadership which precludes any suggestions or ideas for improvement from individual contributors, since those are seen as challenges to authority. You must be able to handle the conflicting messages between the company’s “core values” (we respect each other, we do what we say, committed to improving, etc.) and the actual decisions and behavior from the leadership team. They don’t respect individual contributors, they don’t do what they say, and they aren’t committed to improving their product. They’re committed to keeping their product good enough to make money. By refusing to recognize that they make poor design and process decisions that negatively affect the student experience, they also show disrespect for their customers. Overall, if you value your professional integrity or your dignity as a human being, my advice is to stay away from The CE Shop. I’m sad to have to give the company such a poor review. It was once a place I thought I could work at forever, but as time went by it changed for the worse. It’s clear that the “leadership team” doesn’t understand its own product and sees the talented people on its workforce as mere drones who must bow to the commands of their betters. Don’t waste your time here.

The CE Shop Response

Considering over 5 years in the position of Instructional Designer, we are surprised and saddened to hear your perception of the role that you have filled for so long and of the company in general. We are very committed to our core values and to our employees and while we appreciate all feedback that can help us improve, the comments you have provided run contrary to the perception of our employee base; as evident by consistently being voted on of the top 10 places to work in Denver, overwhelming positive employee engagement survey results, and extremely low turnover within positions on the curriculum team. The job responsibilities and performance goals for the role of the Instructional Designer are very clearly stated and have not changed substantially over 5 years. Quality has always been a top priority for the company and specifically for the curriculum department and standards and expectations related to quality have only ever increased, never decreased. Having the very best content (as evident by our very strong student satisfaction ratings) and having the most effective content (as evident by our industry leading licensing exam pass rates) are both competitive advantages that are very highly valued. Having recently been part of the team, you should also be well aware of the considerable effort and expense currently being put into quality initiatives. While you may not agree with specific processes, standards, the approach being taken related to strategic initiatives, or the individual role that you were able to play in this process; it is undeniable that quality content has always been and continues to be of major importance to the company. The CE Shop greatly respects all team members, including individual contributors and managers. The critical role that each and every department and individual plays in the success of the organization is openly and loudly stated. We are sorry that it did not work out for you here and greatly appreciate your contributions over the past 5 years and hope that you are able to find a role that meets what you are looking for.

Leadership doesn’t value its workforce - Instructional Designer The CE Shop Employee Review

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