Pros
The atmosphere on the surface was really fun and friendly. Many of the people are really cool, people want to do a good job. Find the right people and you can find a really good mentor, if they stick around. If you happen to be one of the COO’s best pals, you might get to have the experience this last positive review talked about, this “mama bear”. Otherwise, yeah, no. Just bear. Like lots of startups, they have free beer and snacks.
Cons
A LOT of people have left in just the last year. A lot of good people. A lot of senior people. Someone before me wants you to believe all the negative reviews were from bitter ex-employees “who couldn’t cut it”. I guess they didn’t notice the current employee in there. I guess they didn’t notice the well-respected people who left. It’s just easier to deny and cast blame. So much for “Continuous Improvement,” huh? So, a lot of others have mentioned the biggest problem: The COO. 10 people left in the 4 months after she became COO, twice as many as who left in the preceding YEAR. And people didn’t stop leaving after that. Here you have a woman with little time at the company (compared to other executives) who went from entry-level to COO in half that time, bypassing more senior VPs on the way and accumulating virtually no mentorship. Shortly after she became COO, she made some very odd promotions and demotions, completely skipping steps on the ladder and punishing senior employees. How does that sound to you? Brad, the CEO has come in and offered some opinions, but he hardly has a complete picture. I wonder where Brad got the idea that she encourages authentic feedback, because despite the negative reactions to her promotion to VP, I don’t remember him soliciting feedback from her subordinates before or after that promotion, or her promotion to COO. If he had, he might have heard that many of them did not have that experience. In fact, frequently she becomes passive-aggressive or hostile upon receiving feedback from subordinates. She’s the kind of manager who makes no secrets about how she tries to figure out who wrote each comment on the company’s feedback survey. She insults and gossips about both current and past employees (just about everyone, Brad). She insults and complains about her subordinates, and she’ll speak with absolute contempt when asked for clarification on an unclear point. She was not only the worst manager I've ever worked for, she was hands down cruel. Brad said “A tyrant doesn’t care and simply dismisses opinions only to move forward with instilling fear.” That was 100% my experience with Orchestra’s COO. I watched her mock and bully dissenting opinions until they were dropped. Disagreeing with her in private was worse. But it’s not limited to opinions. She dismisses facts, too. And on top of that, she will flatly lie if it suits her. Authentic, indeed. See, this “Mama bear” thing is BS. She just likes to intimidate belligerent customers. So if she doesn’t get to do that, then she’s just a bear, and she’ll maul you if she doesn’t like you. And there is nowhere you can go for help if she does because as you can see, Brad just won’t believe it. About the culture in general: The values at Orchestra would be amazing if they were followed, but rumors and backroom complaining take the place of actual communication at Orchestra. Orchestra’s problem-solving strategy is “React,” not “Resolve.” When there is a disagreement, management swiftly takes sides and rebukes whoever they decide is in the wrong, facts be damned. Conflict resolution isn’t a thing, mediating disputes isn’t a thing, and nobody actually sits down and talks 1 on 1 to resolve disagreements. Upper management might value “Carefrontations,” but nobody does them and they’re encouraged maybe once a year. Orchestra preaches Authenticity and Teamwork but getting honest feedback can be like pulling teeth, if you can get honest feedback at all. I thought those values would set Orchestra apart from other companies. I thought that my superiors and my team would adhere to those values. They didn’t. I thought this wouldn’t be another office full of politics. I was disappointed.
