Knak Reviews

Pros

Knak's product solves a real problem in the market and is being used by some of the biggest companies in the world. Knak is managed well and has never done layoffs in the history of the company - something that the majority of startups cannot say these days. They instil a high performance culture, which I personally like. I've been on too many teams that just keep low-performers on as to not rock the boat, that doesn't happen at Knak and that is why I believe there are a some negative reviews on this site. "Micromanagement" as its claimed by other reviews only happens in my experience when employees are not performing. I find the leadership team to care deeply about the employees and overall well being of the company.

Cons

For some people the pace of work will be too fast and the rate of change will be too much. If you're looking for somewhere to mail it in, this is not the place to do that. It can be a stressful environment, especially if you're not looking for a high-performance culture.

Pros

The product is quite innovative. Most people at lower management and below are willing to roll up their sleeves and offer helpful and constructive feedback, jump in where helpful, and offer valuable support. For those in office, there are some pretty cool perks.

Cons

Your job generally, no matter what function, is to execute on a very specific vision from the c-suite that is not communicated, making it extremely easy to action “incorrectly”. There’s no room for innovation, as you have to execute on one person’s vision at all times. There is also an extreme level of micromanagement that comes from the c-suite, as you can see touched upon in other reviews. Values of “work-life balance” are tossed around but not truly instilled in the company – you will receive messages all hours. People are uncomfortable voicing concerns or feedback. If you go against the grain, you will feel repercussions.

Pros

The people I got to work with were fantastic, and the product is actually a great product with a lot of potential. If you work in the Ottawa area, they actually have some pretty good perks of being in the office, and the training allowance benefit was one of the best I've ever had. The compensation was pretty good, too.

Cons

The CEO, just like many others have said, he micromanages everyone and causes a lot of disruption as a result of his later-than-last-minute feedback and changes. There is no trust whatsoever. Upper management has its share of "yes people" who refuse to say no to the CEO, which also causes plenty of problems if you end up in one of those departments. They have a lot of "words we live by" listed on their site, but those are merely for show. Work-life is a phrase they like to throw around, but they either don't mean it or don't understand what it means.

Pros

The team respects each other and is quick to help out, gossiping is frowned upon and everyone celebrates each others success. On Thursdays we all gather for a meal together and the laughter is contagious. That example and those norms are set by our CEO and practiced daily by all members of our team from the c suite to individual contributors.

Cons

Is there work and improvements to be made? Yes and they are being worked on every day to make knak a better place. SAAS can be a challenging place and we learn as we grow.

Pros

- The people here are truly amazing. Everyone looks forward to coming to work - Free lunches every Thursday and fully stocked snack/drinks - Beautiful office with fun events to keep morale up - The current business development manager is amazing! She's a great leader who is also fun and cares about her team - Lots of SaaS tools to make sales easier to manage

Cons

- No cons spotted up to date

Pros

TL;DR: This is a performance culture company. Doing your job well comes first, but there's plenty of opportunity to have fun afterwards, and the company does a really good job enabling that. THE LONG VERSION: People: The people at Knak from the bottom to the top are phenomenal. They are here to learn, grow, and take advantage of the opportunity to expand their a career with a company that supports their growth. The culture team does an amazing job with employee engagement and keeping things fun. Performance: Overall, the tone of the company is that high performers succeed. Reading some of the existing reviews, my impression that those people likely weren't up to the bar that was expected of their role and wound up in a lot of disputes with their managers over work-product. That's frustrating for everyone, and likely appears as micro-management from their perspective. It's a Startup: A start-up is great cuz you have a lot of agency to do what needs to be done. It's scary, though, cuz there's no room to repetitively not perform well. If you're down to work with people who take what they do seriously and have some fun while doing it, it's a great place to work. It's definitely not IBM, though and the formal mentoring/training programs are exactly what you'd expect of a start-up. That means that unless you're in a junior position (co-op, or otherwise), the expectation is that you already know how to do what you do and are just learning to apply it to Knak.

Cons

It's a two-sided coin. If you're coming into a junior position, you can expect training and guidance, but otherwise you'll likely have a lot of agency to do what needs to be done. That also means very little handholding. It really isn't for everyone and that's okay. There is some fear that can creep into a performance culture without good comms from management. I think this is being figured out, but there's definitely work to be done here.

Pros

Knak's culture is unreal. For a remote-friendly company, Knak is more tightly-knit than in-person positions I've held in the past. From weekly random social chats and pair-programming, to on-site events and beach vacations - you'll have a good time. The leadership genuinely cares for it's team, they are transparent, and foster growth. They listen to all opinions, treat everyone with respect, and give you the freedom to work independently. During my employment, every ounce of effort I've put into my job has been acknowledged, celebrated, and given back many times over by means of compensation, mentoring, and opportunities to grow. Specifically, there are many benefits, including: - 3 week minimum vacation, accruing 1 extra day each year. - Fully remote-friendly - Performance bonuses, one for the employee's performance, and one for the team as a whole. - Competitive salaries - Generous professional development budget - Half-day Fridays in the Summer - Work-life balance. I have never been asked to work overtime. Save for a couple minutes to merge a pull request or two. That is not to be taken for granted at a hyper-competitive startup.

Cons

Being a fast-moving startup, you need to be adaptable, you need to be flexible and you must expect change, but if you trust in the direction of the leadership and focus on outputting quality work, you will do great. If you are fully-remote, there can be a feeling of separateness from the office-goers. Knak works hard to counteract that though, with social chats, pair-programming sessions, on-site events, and ideas for nearby remote employee meetups in the future.

Pros

- Knak has hired some exceptional people that are great to work with and collaborate with - Local employees are well supported with a good office environment, free snacks, etc. - Decent health benefits

Cons

- Lack of structured onboarding for new employees - Lack of foundational processes and documentation, and no time put aside to focus on these - For some teams, there is no structured approach for planning out initiatives/campaigns/roadmaps in a way that accounts for people's availability - CEO micromanages most teams under a supposed spirit of "transparency" and "getting s*** done", without acknowledging that his requests/questions carry more weight than any others - This has led team members to feel there is little trust in their abilities - Not enough focus on diversity and inclusion - The remote employee experience feels very removed from the in-office experience, particularly as management wants to further prioritize building culture in the office

Pros

I got to work with incredibly talented folks who became my friends and kept me sane for a long time. Although I was closest to the people in my department, many true gems are working at Knak. Compensation was competitive, and I enjoyed my three weeks of vacation, but as of late, one of those weeks needs to be used for a company-wide shutdown.

Cons

Like many of my colleagues, I started this job quite enthused. The honeymoon phase lasted about 2-3 months, and then I saw the reality of Knak's company culture. Work-life balance was a shiny sticker management liked showing off but never acted on. Instead of choosing reasonable targets, hiring help in critical departments and lowering the workload, they would send care packages to burnout employees or organize "happy hours" at work. Knak's CEO makes decisions that hurt his team (e.g., forcing Ottawa employees to return to the office). He micromanages most departments instead of trusting the employees he hires. Knak's huge turnover is proof of the stressful work environment. I've seen people used as scapegoats, quitting within months of starting, getting fired for speaking their minds, and having mental health breakdowns. I continuously asked myself how many good people would need to leave the company before management realizes the problem might be internal.

Pros

They really care about employees here, respect work life balance and letting people actually log off at the end of the day. There's a great energy in the office, people are all very respectful, and the leadership team is present - during social events, team lunches, meetings etc.

Cons

Really can't think of any at the moment.