ALPS Funds Services – “Emotionally toxic work environment”

Pros

Starting salary and benefit packages are good. There are some people who work there that do mean well, but unfornately end up getting caught in the extreme political climate at this company. The IT staff is awesome! They are very hard-working individuals and very customer-service oriented to their internal customers.

Cons

Management runs you ragged. I have been on my way out the door after already putting in a 12 hour day, but have been asked to stay if the customer called with last minute changes or inquiries to resolve. Once in awhile, okay, but it was frequent. Another example is that one level of management tells you one thing, then another tells you to do it another way, and still another wants it done differently. The lack of communication between levels leaves followers not knowing what to do or where to go for a straight answer. Myself and others have had senior officers throw papers back at us when dissatisfied with work. In one case I reported this behavior to my manager and was told to ignore it because the manager was having a bad day.

Advice to Senior Management

Ned Burke is a good, kind man, and I truly believe he is not aware of the types of behaviors his management staff engages in. What he should do is get a "mystery shopper" in to examine how his management staff treats and values staff. It will take three to six months to conduct this type of study, but it will be an eye-opener for Ned. There is a lot of thowing people under the bus in management meetings rather than management taking responsibility for things that go awry. If you are not part of the management inner circle, you will not go anywhere in this company. They stick together and if one blacklists you, you have no chance of succeeding. Also Ned should put the kabosh on after work bar activities. A drink with a client is one thing, but getting overly intoxicated in front of clients and staff is totally unprofessional.