Growing company with potential but poor leadership all around - Sales Representative Own Company Employee Review

1.0
Sep 17, 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

This company is growing fast with a number of investors. The product is strong and easy to sell. They are looking to expand product reach and offerings.

Cons

The culture is not healthy at all. It is "Work hard, play hard." Everyone in sales and the other departments work long hours while extended vacations frowned upon. We were pressured to work in the office during COVID even though we were told it was optional. It has an atmosphere of a boys club or fraternity. It is a workplace with heavy drinking (alcohol). There is always beer, wine and hard liquor in the office. There are times when people are drinking and even drunk by lunch time. The company events are all centered around drinking and and partying. All levels of leadership drink very heavily. I have seen employees (up to the highest level in the organization) drink to the point of slurred speech and blackout. The "Presidents Club" environment for top performers is all about drinking and it was embarrassing to be a part of. I saw people blacking out after dinner and being outright rude to co-workers and others in and around the event. To make things even worse most employees commute to the office and after work events by personal vehicle, then end up driving home drunk. It is sad to see the trickle down effect of the alcohol abuse problems from the top level in the company.

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Own Company Response
4y
I would like to address some of the concerns you raised in your review of OwnBackup. My goal is not to convince you to change your mind, but help you understand what we do to create a safe environment for our employees. First, we do not tolerate excessive use of alcohol, as is outlined in our Code of Conduct. We take corrective action if our policy is broken. Safety of our employees is, and will always be, our number one priority. While we do offer alcohol at many of our events, we always provide shuttle services as well as a corporate Uber account should someone need a ride. During the height of the pandemic we encouraged employees to work from wherever they felt comfortable. If you felt any pressure at all to be in the office, that was not intended. Once vaccines did become available, we partnered with a nearby hospital to help team members easily get the vaccine if they wanted it. As we slowly reopened, we took many precautions, such as weekly free covid-testing, temperature checks, provided ample personal protective equipment, and enhanced cleaning. If employees feel uncomfortable for any reason, we highly encourage them to speak directly with their manager or HR. We also offer an anonymous hotline through our benefits provider to report misconduct. Finally, as one of our company benefits, we rolled out unlimited paid time off, globally. This benefit is meant to empower employees to take time off when they need it. We even send reminders to employees to take advantage of this benefit. As you know from your time at OwnBackup, one of our values is “culture is as important as results”. We seek to balance strong business results with creating a fun and collaborative atmosphere. As we continue to grow we will remain focused on delivering results and creating an inclusive and positive environment. -Charles Johnston, EVP, Sales

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CEO approval
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Pros

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Cons

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2.0
Apr 22, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Lunch was always free and good quality

Cons

Leadership was not transparent or honest

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