Pros

Although the base pay at Discovery is less that at other similar companies, the work-life balance as well as the benefits and flexibility are worlds over other employers!

Cons

The base pay is lower that is expected at jobs similar at other companies. Seem to sometimes be behind the times in certain technologies (laptops and definitely their e-mail system!).

Advice to Senior Management

Raise the salaries to be more in line with similar offerings elsewhere.

Pros

I like the people I work with

Cons

Total lack of process results in hopeless mess where nothing gets done, ever, and no one has any idea who to go to for information. Regular layoffs also means more work for others, however due to lack of communication no one tells you that you get extra responsibilities. Maybe they think that by not saying anything they wont have to address any salary questions

Advice to Senior Management

i have no advice

Pros

I suppose one of the best things about working here is that public knows the name and on-air reputation of the company.
And most of my coworkers are fabulous!

Cons

Management is poorly trained and has little respect for the masses. There is an obscenely high attrition rate - due to people quitting and being fired. Communication, if existent at all, is extremely poor. Promises are made; promises are broken.

Advice to Senior Management

Just because you have risen in the ranks over time doesn't mean you are any good at managing people or projects. Perhaps you should get some training so you can be a halfway decent manager.
Or perhaps you should just quit.

Pros

The best part of working there was the connection to other
people and networks in the industy and the benifits are the best in the industy

Cons

Senior leadership known to change hands and very public mistakes were made, also the tendency to hire from the outside was limiting for career advancement

Advice to Senior Management

Don't make rash decisions and pick a true vision for the organization, it did have a mission before and it feels lost

Pros

Amazing work/life balance, benefits, TVs at desks(!), fun environment. Loved the energy of the place and how everyone seemed passionate.

Cons

Not too many, lack of advancement or distinct career tracks for lower levels, no training program for executives (or none that are prominent)

Advice to Senior Management

Hire and retain the best, and need to promote in order to keep top talent. Don't praise everyone for every little thing, sometimes important to let the cream rise to the top.

Pros

Excellent benefits package, competitive pay, 401K, world renown company, nice facilities, fair amount of leave if needed, etc.

Cons

As someone else correctly pointed out in another review here, being a young, hot, white woman is your best bet for advancement and good treatment at Discovery. There actually are several ways for almost anyone to move up the ladder- just understand that hard work, dedication, quality of your output, reliability, and experience are not necessarily keys to advancement. Being under 30, "hot", a part of the clique, and willingness to make them think that an entry-level job is your whole life are the keys.

Then there is upper and middle management. Directives and standards change constantly, each one deemed vitally important before it's tossed aside in 3 months for a new directive or standard. Processes and plans are introduced without working the bugs out and new systems and procedures are routinely halted just after being launched to undergo debugging or redesign. Organization and doing things right the first time are not priorities. The management staff CONSTANTLY changes and each new appointed higher-up wants to make his or her own rules and procedures with little regard to whether what's already in place works or not.

The name of the game at Discovery is poor communication between departments., cronyism, poor treatment of those who make less than 50K a year (you know, the folks who actually make the wheels turn), and no stability in standards and procedures.

Advice to Senior Management

Advance or promote people based on the job they do instead of how good looking they are or whether or not their personality rubs you the right way.

Fully think out and test new systems and procedures before launch. It is a waste of time and manpower to train people for tasks, only to have them stop doing the task while it is reworked, debuged, or redesigned, and then have to re-train people.

Pros

Discovery can and does attract some bright and capable people who find the idea of "working in television" appealing. But, that enthusiasm can quickly tamped down once the realities of working at Discovery are apparent - like the cronyism, office politics and yes man attitude that needs to be displayed for career advancement.

Cons

Constant fear of layoffs and downsizing which all can happen very capriciously and without a lot of warning. This is really unhealthy for productivity. And while the company touts great benefits like teleworking and flex time, they are completely at the whim of your supervisor and aren't necessarily work-life benefits you'll ever actually get to use. And the constant office political maneuvering gets tiring and means very little actual tangible work can get done.

Advice to Senior Management

If you don't get it together, your going to be a media dinosaur and if you've ever watched your own channel, remember, they went extinct.

Pros

Pay (pre-recession), benefits, on-site health clinic, location, Lifeworks, child care center, people in the trenches doing the real work.

Cons

Incompetent management, deception, complacency with the status quo, lack of inspiration, half-baked products. Television shows have fallen prey to the ratings gods, which are shamelessly pumped out heavily in favor of style over substance. And to think, this was once a highly-respected brand.

The company itself falls short of having the right idea as a holistic entity. It fails to deliver when it comes down to brass tax. Seemingly sound ideas based on caring for employees and green-initiatives paint the corporate portrait well in PR releases, but the reality is much different when it comes down to the true value of the worker, where tenure means next to nothing.

A lot of hemming and hawing, but no real decisive leadership at the helm. Course correction happens with each bend of the economic wind, rather than sticking to a sensible plan and testing it over the long haul, giving it a chance to succeed.

Advice to Senior Management

Instead of laying people off, take a pay cut yourselves. You're the ones running the company into the ground, not us and it's the corporate American thing to do in this economy, isn't it? So, stop firing your most talented people and punishing them for your lousy choices! Oops, too late.

Pros

The people. The energy in the company has increased significantly over the last two years and the performance of the company has too. This hasn't been at the cost of being a great place to work, the new childcare center that has been built onsite at the HQ is fantastic. There are great benefits and work life facilities such as the wellness center, getting your car washed at work and having the opportunity to meet people that are on our air.

Cons

I really don't think there are a lot of downsides. I think that because of the people and the drive sometimes it's a little easy to lose your work life balance. Some senior managers are not as supportive as they could be but there are lots of programs to use if you need to. The pace of change is high and sometimes that's hard to keep pace with. If you like very clear boundaries and stability then Discovery is not the place for you. If you like change and being able to do things that are sometimes outside your comfort zone then it is.

Advice to Senior Management

Walk the floors more often. We believe in what you're doing but it would be nice to see you meeting more people in person occasionally.

Pros

Benefits, Salary, Atmosphere. On balance, a very good place to work.

Cons

Removed from most of industry, creating something of a vacuum. Highly volatile organization until you are part of the "in crowd." Transition from private to public company could dampen entrepreneurial spirit, creativity and risk taking (as it already appears to be). Internal politics aren't as sticky as they once were, but can still be difficult.

Advice to Senior Management

Focus more on smart decisions, not quick ones. Understand your core business, and recognize when you don't understand parts of it (ie, content). Train senior managers on critical decision making skills, and reward them. Hire more people with professional experience in the industry.