Pros
friendly, creative, trustworthy co-workers (excluding most higher ups and some shady two-faced characters) some fun company outings
Kontras
The HR department is one guy, the company’s proclaimed “integrator”- whose vague job description is to handle everything from payroll to finances to employee onboarding to office management to employee concerns and a lot of other random corporate stuff. Maybe I’d be more receptive to a one-person HR department if he had *any* natural sense of compassion or training in managing employee relationships and de-escalating work-related issues. He is, by contrast, an unapproachable, awkward and unemotional boss who I always felt tense around— not exactly someone who you’d want to talk about your feelings with. The pay discrepancies and workplace hierarchy makes for a really weird employee dynamic. The salaried employees, each with their own beautiful naturally lit, private office at the front of the building lived significantly more comfortably than us lowly warehouse workers, if you know what I mean. Even the customer service reps got way more respect and outside opportunities, working in comfortable conditions in a well-lit and insulated office with beautiful floor-to-ceiling windows and easy bathroom access. Just a little more lively than the fluorescent lit oversized garage the foundational employees of the company worked in to actually keep the place running. The building layout made it so the cover making team had no access to plumbing, forcing us to walk to the other side of the warehouse if we wanted to wash our hands, grab water or go to the bathroom. Though the CEO (or self-proclaimed visionary) of the company often claimed that he cared about making RT a great place to work, morale was literally in a permanent downward trajectory due to manager favoritism, unwarranted firings and reprimanding, and constantly changing standards. Not to mention the lack of fair compensation— the majority of the warehouse was living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to make rent and put food on the table. All while the CEO was living it up in his million dollar home and alternating expensive cars to drive to work. Inauthentic. Greedy. This place may look creatively fulfilling from the outside looking in, but it’s glorified factory work that will tear up your body and numb all of your brain function. The relationship many of us had with our manager was inappropriate— always blurring the line between friendship and professionalism. He clearly had no management training prior, as he had a knack for picking each week’s favorite team member and select another that he had chosen to bully that week. The amount of people he made cry is pretty laughable considering he is the epitome of the “nice guy” trope, always offering an ear when getting through to him was actually like talking to a wall. I could really go on and on about how betrayed I felt by this place after a few slip-ups (a result of very poor mental health brought on by the job) when I had offered up two years of incredible work ethic, record breaking output, and quality products to them. I often joked that RT beat the remainder of my spark out of me, and I think it still rings true. I have never felt more mechanical, isolated, uninspired, unappreciated, and worthless than I did working here. I’ll save the subtle racism for another day…. shout-out to the two token POC employees. I’ll never forget the time they hired on a clearly capable POC employee and let them go a month later citing that they didn’t type fast enough… shady. Anyway, I really wish I had more good things to say about this place, but it was a truly disappointing blip in my timeline. I just want this place to stop taking advantage of really cool, kind, talented and creative people who feel a bit lost and are seeking a more structured, well-paying way to do something they might enjoy.