Active Network Reviews in San Diego, CA Area

Pros

Very active employees with a good exercise program
Great employees to work with, great atmosphere
No micromanaging which a lot of corporations do, everyone is dedicated and responsible (including putting overtime to get the work done) so no need for it
Management is great to work with (they work as a team)
Keeps groups together with outside events/activities, keeping the "Family" vibe

Cons

Office space is small
Management could communicate a little better with departments with changes
Too many acquisitions without structure
Certain departments have periods they cannot take time off which disrupts time with family vacations that happen yearly during that time
No bonuses for departments outside of sales for recognition

Advice to Senior Management

Keep everyone on the same page
Share information ahead of time instead of blind siding
People put a lot of hours into there work, time off should be granted whenever needed (when the hours are theirs to use). Also, they should be able to roll them over to the following year and not demanded they take it when Active wants you to take it

Pros

*Active-X - opportunities every day of the week to work out with your co-workers, whether it's doing a cross-fit style boot camp work out, going for a trail run, a swim in the lap pool, game of tennis, or some hoops at lunch time.
*Autonomy - although that varies by department - you own your job and your manager gives you the space to get it done
*Flexibility - Got a doctor's appointment? Cable guy coming? Need to work from home? No problem. Hate the 5pm traffic and want to come in at 10 and leave at 6? Got you covered here at Active.
*Technology - Love to be on the cutting edge? Working at Active you'll be exposed to the latest technologies in the software and IT industry, and management that encourages you to think outside the box and find creative solutions to the challenges you face here.
*Facilities - Both a pro and a con - 6th floor balcony overlooking the ocean to have lunch or a meeting, on-site gym, lap pool, tennis/basketball court, shower facilities, yoga classes, etc.
*Work from home - Active gives employees the tools to be able to work from home including VPN access, a laptop, cell phone (if your job requires it), etc. This makes life much more flexible. Most managers permit it (i.e. work from home 1 day a week), although some departments/managers may not.

Cons

*Pay not on par with industry standards - lower pay = higher turnover, and harder to find replacements, which can increase work load on those who stay behind
*Health benefits are slipping - no HMO plan available in 2012 (although this is probably happening at a lot of companies to be fair)
*401k match is a joke - but at least they have one
*Facilities are crowded, 3-5 people squeezed into one office - very tiny break room (except on the 6th floor)
*Unpredictable work load - you might be bored out of your mind one week and completely slammed the next - this probably varies by department.
*Lack of focus - Continue to acquire companies that have nothing to do with our core market, and I wonder if that will pull us in the wrong direction
*No incentives for non director employees - Management does not offer stock options to employees, even those who have been loyal to the company before they went public, only sr directors and above get options
*PTO - You have to be there 3 years before you get 4 weeks of PTO and you can't roll any of it over, but that's balanced out with a flexible schedule so you may not have to use your PTO for a dr appointment or other things that can happen in life.

Advice to Senior Management

Continue doing what works well, and try to improve the things that are broken - stay focused and execute solidly on the core values and mission of the company. Communicate often, and effectively so your employees feel they are well informed. Seriously need to work on the hiring process, I've had friends apply for jobs and not get a return phone call for 3 months even though they were highly qualified applicants and referred by me or other employees. Pay needs to be more competitive, I've seen a lot of talent leave or never even make it in the door due to the low pay of some positions.

Pros

The community, the enthusiasm, the relaxed atmosphere.

Cons

My manager gave me very little to do in my internship. I didn't feel "part of the team:

Pros

very laid back and relaxed....yet people come to work hard. Everyone is very nice....also everyone is very "active".

Cons

the pay is not as much as everywhere else....but you give up a little salary for all the other perks.

Advice to Senior Management

maybe now that you are a public company you can start to raise the salaries a little bit....it might help to retain more employees

Pros

Overall, not that many pros. One thing I can think of is that you are allowed to wear jeans and comfortable clothing at work. Some coworks are great and normally those are the ones who carry everyone else weight.

Cons

If you are going to be working in the Accounting department, say good bye to your normal life. Hours are really long and what you are asked to do, doesn't fall within job description. Managers are not that understanding and the only time they will help you is when their A** is in trouble. The pay is horrible for what you are asked to do. I wouldn't recommend working here to anyone at all, unless you are loner and have nothing else to do.

Advice to Senior Management

Please talk to employees at lower level and get their perspective. Because they are the ones who do all the work after all. Rather than having so many levels of authority and directors, managers, supervisors, and seniors, just have the organization more organized and smooth. Try to show some appreciation for the hardwork every employee puts in.

Pros

Great work place with highly energized people. Very open and approachable executive team.

Cons

Matrix organization does not work so well. Too many people say "not my job".

Advice to Senior Management

Stay focused. Adopt a more agile organization structure.

Pros

-Extremely Energetic Environment

-Flexible

-Laid Back

-Strong Opportunity for Growth and Advancement

-Creativity is Highly Accepted

-Very Diverse Staff

-Great Location

Cons

-Communication between teams and management could be stronger; this has been the only challenge I have had at Active but, I guess that is what you get with a company that has grown as fast and large as we have.

Advice to Senior Management

Motivate, Motivate, Motivate. Thank your team members for the jobs that they do. Encourage, Mentor, Communicate Rewards do not always have to be given in the form of a bonus check, just show that you truly care and appreciate the effort that they put forth with a simple "Thank you, dynamic job." It will extract better reception from your staff.

Pros

To be honest a year ago I had people tell me not to work in IT at Active. I thought the story was compelling anyway and took a chance. Best decision I've made personally and professionally. It probably was not good in prior years but its changed dramatically, quality/skills of employees and leaders is better, and overall experience continues to get better. Take prior reviews with that context.

* GREAT work/life balance
* Tons of opportunity to make an impact and drive change/innovation
* Driven and energetic co-workers
* Good relationship between development and IT orgs
* Clear appreciation of achievements by superiors/execs
* Fast paced, growing, and no signs of slowing down
* Cool products and a monopoly in many of the spaces we compete in
* ActiveX program (employee fitness/wellness) is an outstanding perk and benefit if you're activity minded

Cons

Don't work here if you want to coast, do the same job everyday, or are not flexible. Priorities change and there will always be more demand than supply especially in development or IT positions. People who want to be told what to do wont survive here.. success stories abound from folks who find opportunity to make a difference and just do it.

* Its a startup in behavior/pace but no stock or robust bonus plan (but work/life balance is great so pick your poison)
* 401k match could be better
* Growth is so fast that workspaces are crowded, often with 2-3 to an office. (San Diego)
* Lack of available conf rooms make impromptu team meetings/gatherings almost impossible (San Diego)
* Having to use all vacation time before the end of the year and Inability to roll vacation time over to the next year is dreadful
* Later quarters get painful when some departments overspend their budgets and then everyone else has to cut into their budgets to make up the difference. Wish there was more accountability for poor $ management to those who caused the problem.

Pros

like everyone said, a really fun casual workplace environment. And most of the people who work there are really hot.

Cons

Their philosophy seems to be buy the competition, drive 'em into the ground, and let new products die. Still can't decide what kind of company they want to be.

Advice to Senior Management

Active is about more than just triathletes and races. There's a whole lot of cool products that get the short end of the stick. support them.

Pros

The environment is very casual, and the work life balance is great. People are pretty friendly for the most part, and it isn't too competitive or political.

Cons

The financial benfits and the pay are terrible. I'm not sure the work life balance completely makes up for that. It is pretty atrocious actually, Active pays at the bottom of the scale for each position.

Advice to Senior Management

The company has so much potential, but we need to bring together the strategy from the customer's perspective, not based on how the company is organized internally. Active is extremely reactive, and it is just a matter of time before a smaller, faster, more creative company eats us alive.