Pleasant job at first, not so good right now - Talent Team Member hackajob Employee Review

2.0
Jan 20, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The team is young, peers are very friendly and you enjoy working collaboratively or simply having conversations. The responsibilities of the job are enjoyable, it sparks your ambition and you feel you are growing professionally.

Cons

Three rounds of redundancy in a year, pay freezes, and target increases when you do too well (in their opinion). We keep being told to be adaptable and embrace change. The only explanation for all this is that it is a startup and cannot offer stability. The CEO does anything that "needs to be done" to achieve his goals but doesn't count the emotional health of employees. Everything that has happened over the past year has made most employees feel frustrated and unappreciated, even though very good performances were delivered.

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hackajob Response
2y
Hi there Thank you for your review. The fact that you enjoy your responsibilities and that the role sparks your ambition and is leading to professional growth is really lovely to hear. Your cons are harder to hear and there is a lot that we can reflect on here. Multiple redundancy processes in a year have inevitably been tough on those affected and, as mentioned in responses to other reviews, every effort was made to manage these with as much empathy, compassion and care as possible. We recognise that not all of the rounds were handled as well as they could have been. We have learned as much as we can, particularly around the importance of supporting employees at a very difficult time. Getting the communication balance right in the lead up to a redundancy round is often the trickiest part. The aim is to be transparent enough to be clear on what the risks are, while avoiding a working environment that is constantly overshadowed by anxiety and uncertainty. Sometimes striking that balance well is missed, which it seems it was for you. Target changes (increases or decreases) are common in business and are often reflective of external conditions, and/or aim to drive a different set of behaviours in exchange for additional reward. So far, the data tells us that individuals are working well towards the amended targets communicated around 6 weeks ago, and if all individuals stay focused on the levels of input activity required to hit the new targets, it looks likely that most people will achieve or overachieve against these new targets. This is great news. Thank you for your feedback around the CEO not considering employee emotional health. It’s a shame that you feel this way, because at hackajob, we know that our team members are our most important asset and we invest in wellbeing support via Spill, giving everyone access to talking therapy options. We're committed to making sure everyone feels respected, supported, and valued in their work. Even though we're a startup and face challenges, we never want our team to feel unhappy or unfulfilled. Thanks for being honest and dedicated to improving hackajob. We really appreciate your feedback, and we're working hard to fix these issues. I would welcome the chance to talk with you further and understand more about your point of view. If you would be prepared to do this, please reach out to me on amy@hackajob.co or via Slack. Thanks, Amy, Director of People

Explore other reviews about hackajob

5.0
Aug 9, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The people are great, I get along with all my coworkers, and with a small team in the US, I feel that they have my back if i need support or help with anything. Training their employees to do a better job - investing in people. Great product, hackajob intelligence is amazing. Consistent and open communication with managers. They have invested into tools to help employees succeed. Expectations are clearly communicated.

Cons

Don't mind it personally, but for some people constant change can be a negative, and the company has startup energy. Wearing many hats and trying out new things all the time, less structure and more exploration, figure it out as we go.

5
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hackajob Response
1y
Hi there I appreciate you taking the time to share this review. Your comments about the support within the US Team are awesome to read and we agree! I bet it was also great to be with the whole team at the recent RecFest (US) where hackajob intelligence was launched to the US market! Communication between managers/leaders and our people is something we've worked hard to improve so it's encouraging to hear that you feel it's open and expectations are clear. That, plus investing in learning and development for everyone really helps all of us deliver. We often hear feedback that ongoing change can create a working environment that's more challenging for some. This is an ongoing area of improvement for us, and we continue to try to find that balance between experimentation/newness and structure/consistency to find a better blend for everyone, but without losing the startup energy that has got us this far. If you have any suggestions on how we can continue to improve any aspect of working here, please reach out to me directly on Slack or via our People Office Hours. Thanks, Amy, VP People
5.0
Feb 29, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I joined hackajob about 6 months ago as part of the growing US team. I felt very supported by my manager and the entire team throughout my onboarding. The US team is very collaborative and it's been a great experience to partner with and learn from everyone on the team. In the past 6 months, I have had many opportunities for growth and a clear career progression plan, which I appreciate. Wins are celebrated by the team and everyone truly works together to solve challenges that come up. I have had 3 sales roles prior to working at hackajob, and I have been nothing but happy with the support, opportunities for growth, and rewarding environment here.

Cons

As in any startup environment, things change quickly. Not necessarily a con, but it requires being open-minded and flexible.

5
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hackajob Response
2y
Hi there Thank you for leaving such positive feedback about your experience at hackajob so far. It is wonderful to read that the supportive approach has been so impactful for you. One of our main Operating Principles is to ‘hire exceptional people and empower them to do the best work of their careers’ and it is fantastic to hear that this is ringing true. You clearly understand that as a startup we do need to shift focus at times. Being open to this is absolutely key to success and we try to embrace change as much as possible at hackajob, with a positive attitude. If there is ever anything further you want to discuss please feel free to Slack or email anyone from the People Team or come along to our recently launched People Team Office Hours for an informal chat. Thanks, Amy, Director of People
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