Company Culture
The culture has become tense due to industry changes and the brain drain caused by a recent early retirement offering.
Support from management
Some middle managers are more concerned with pleasing their bosses than with doing good work.
Teamwork
There is support from management on mot tasks, and a general spirit of teamwork. However a very varied lack of ability means that some help requires more work correcting than it is worth.
Freedom to work independently
I a highly experienced so for the most part I am left alone. New employees may have a very different experience.
Gender Equality
Women appear to have the same opportunities. The president of the company is female.
Attitude towards older colleagues
They offered early retirement to employees for whom their age and their length of employment added up to 75 or more. Older employees who were not payed at an upper management level were placed in the position where they feared that if they did not accept the package they would be laid off anyway, so most of them took it. Many in upper management took it as well. Several of these older employees are currently looking for work. The brain drain has been highly traumatic to regular business operations, but we are adapting. Still, what they did to these experienced and loyal employees was not right.
Career Development
If people like you and you fit the right demographic mix, you can get ahead even if you're under-qualified. If you think about a question before you say yes/no, you will probably be labeled disagreeable, in which case advancement will become a serious challenge.
Overall compensation for your work
This company pays notoriously below the industry average.
Office / Work Environment
Research employees sit in tiny cubicles, crammed together or in hallways.
Environmental Friendliness
This company says all the right things. They even mean some of it.
Work-Life Balance
There is a natural ebb and flow to research in this industry. This places some natural incentive to restrict one's own vacation time. Taking a full week vacation is frowned upon, but can be done with ample forethought.
Company Image
This company is known for its integrity in research and sales. They train the industry, and they remain the industry leader in spot television sales.
Job Security
A year ago this would have been five stars. The recent severance offering to older employees, and ongoing rumors of transition make it feel less secure. Clearly ability and experience did not play a factor in the most recent culling of the employees, so it is difficult to know what to expect.
Handicapped Accessibility
There are handicapped bathrooms on every floor. The stairs on one side of the building can complicate access, but there is street level access on the uphill side.
Workplace Safety
This company is a block from the UN. There are several missions in the building and a near constant police presence. Several building security personnel are also always on hand. There are regular fire and emergency preparedness drills. The building clearly does everything in its power to provide a reasonable degree of safety.
Challenging Work
Research is a really easy job that is hard to learn. There is a steep learning curve, but once you get it, its not that challenging.
Inclusive / Diverse
The company is proud of its diversity, and seems at times to prioritize it above all other business considerations.
Suggestions for improvement
- Several of the suggestions I have made in the past have eventually been implemented without due recognition. My latest suggestion is that if the company does not prove to employees how much it values them, they have no incentive to offer new innovations. We deal with demographics but this is a people business. Do not loose sight of fairly valuing the people in your business.
What I like about the company
The best thing about CoxReps is the people. There are many good-natured, thoughtful, hard-working people in this company.
What I dislike about the company
There is a clear disconnect between the policy makers and the proper valuation of the great people working for them.
