Disappointed to leave as I saw a lot of potential when I started
Gut am Arbeitgeber finde ich
Apart from the benefits that come with the job, the wonderful people you get to befriend and work with, I also really appreciated how the company dealt with Covid. As a parent, the activities that the feelgood team arranged for them, the colouring books that were designed and such were a wonderful touch.
The HQ is also a really inviting place to work and I really appreciated the fact that office dogs were also allowed.
Schlecht am Arbeitgeber finde ich
Transparency, Pay, Culture shift
Verbesserungsvorschläge
Transparency and Pay really need to be addressed. I personally would've loved to stay if the company was willing to take that extra step. People have been complaining about this for a while now and people have been leaving as a result.
By the time I left, I had no idea what the company's plans were for the future. Sure I had an overview, but it was so confusing. We talked about it, I asked questions but those questions were never directly addressed. Instead the response I was given was essentially "Don't worry about it, we got this." I even spoke to a few managers about it and was told that essentially "I guess we'll find out" because it was also unclear to them. I really left wondering if leadership really had a grasp of what they were doing because that was really not very well communicated at all.
There is so much potential and the company is full of such passionate people. It is really a shame that they are not the priority. If they are, it really needs to be shown because it currently does not.
Arbeitsatmosphäre
Absolutely great people to work with and one of the biggest factors for most people to stay. Very friendly, very welcoming and the passion people had was very infectious.
Kommunikation
Within my Team I have absolutely nothing to complain about. They were as transparent with me with all the information they had. From upper management, however, transparency seems to have fallen by the wayside. It was so much better when I had first joined and it was even something that Spreadgroup was very proud of. By the end, a lot of information was acquired through the rumour mill and the official information we received felt more like it was coming out of the PR Machine rather than the people who we worked with.
Kollegenzusammenhalt
I absolutely loved working with my team. Incredibly good balance of work and play.
Work-Life-Balance
Great work-life-balance. Flexible Working hours and a very relaxed vibe for the most parts. I've heard stories of people working overtime more often than they should, but I never personally experienced this and I think most people don't either.
Vorgesetztenverhalten
This is a bit tricky to accurately rate as there were huge upper management changes. I personally feel like the newer management feels a bit more removed and perhaps even slightly out of touch with what their employees want and/or need. I didn't feel like this before the management change and it could perhaps be attributed to management finding their feet, so I'm not 100% sure what happened and if this would be the case in the future. All in all, everyone has been very cordial, approachable and friendly.
Interessante Aufgaben
My tasks were relatively repetitive, so it is hard to judge accurately, but we did work on some pretty cool projects.
Gleichberechtigung
From an employment standpoint, they try very hard to be inclusive and for the most part they are. I doubt anybody would be declined a job based on race, sexual orientation or gender. When it comes to upper management, however, it's still a (white) man's world. 1 member of the C-level is a woman and it may be unfair to say it feels like nepotism, but when most new hires in upper management are friends/contacts of either the board or them themselves, it's hard to avoid that question mark popping up.
Umgang mit älteren Kollegen
I don't think there were many older colleagues, but I am 100% that this would never be an issue for most of the good people who work at this company.
Arbeitsbedingungen
Great work environment. In terms of equipment, my only issue would be the monitors not having great resolution if that matters to you, but apart from that, I cannot complain.
Umwelt-/Sozialbewusstsein
The company has been trying very hard to be more socially/environmentally responsible. I don't think they're there yet, but I know it is a goal.
Gehalt/Sozialleistungen
This has been one of the most demotivating things for me. Not only was the pay pretty poor, it was once mentioned that the the other benefits (fruit, flexible working hours, relaxed working atmosphere, etc) were not commonplace elsewhere and that we should essentially be happy about our salary. There seemed to be no willingness to pay someone fairly if they started off on a lower pay grade because "they agreed to it." This has always rubbed me the wrong way. I personally had to go back and forth for months for a raise and was always given some reason or the other why the timing was off because it's too early in the year or because we need to wait for management change or management has only just changed, give them time, etc. When I did get eventually get a pay rise, it brought me about 60€ more a month after taxes. It seemed to be a problem for others as the topic would repeatedly be brought up and it felt like those concerns were being brushed off or we were essentially told that "it's normal for our industry as we are in retail and not IT".
Image
Spreadgroup is definitely a place for vibrant, passionate people. Everyone who works there love what they do and do a wonderful job. They are a "cool" company to work for. Lately, however, it seems like the culture may be shifting a little bit. That startup vibe is no longer as prevalent as it was when I first joined the company and it seems to be moving to a more corporate style way of doing things as they grow - at least from my perspective.
Karriere/Weiterbildung
In my particular case I would probably rate this 1 or 2 stars based on the fact that I wasn't assigned a manager for about a year and a half. I had one on paper, but our tasks were so drastically different, when I brought up a promotion, they had no idea where I was at with my development (this was also what made getting a raise a lot harder). It seems that at Spreadshirt, there is no clear career ladder to climb and your managers won't necessarily pro-actively bring it up to you. You will have to take that initiative or you stagnate in the same position. It's the same with raises. I'm not sure if this is a generalisation, but pretty much everyone I spoke to has had this issue.
With that said, Spreadshirt won't stop you from growing if you have a conference or something of the sort that you'd like to participate in. It is highly encouraged.
Arbeitgeber-Kommentar
Hello and thank you for your comment. We highly appreciate that you took the time to leave such detailed feedback. It is valuable to us, and we are glad to hear that you have had a pleasant experience working with your colleagues.
We are pleased to know that you have found our workplace to be supportive, enjoyable and that your colleagues have contributed positively to your experience. We always want to support and ensure a constructive and comfortable work environment. Therefore, We would also like to acknowledge your concerns regarding transparency, as we take these challenges in the ongoing change process very seriously. We know that we might not be there yet but we have been working on improving the process to communicate consistently - for example through regular formats such as the General Assembly and other channels. As Spread Group grows, it becomes increasingly important for us to act based on our values and ensure that our employees feel supported, valued, and heard. Even if we are not a start-up anymore, we strive to keep the cooperative and casual spirit, as well as the great employees that contributed to it. Therefore, we would like to assure you that we take all feedback seriously, as it is a base for further improvements.
Thank you once again for taking the time to share your thoughts with us. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors and feel free to reach out to us at feedback@spreadgroup.com to give us more insights.
Best regards from the People & Culture and Internal Communications team