Grande Communications – “Keep your head in the sand...”

Pros

Pay was on the upper end for my position. Benefits were above par compared to the rest of the companies in and out of the telecom industry.

Cons

Grande talked about being family and looking out for its employees when Bill Morrow was CEO, but when they assume companies, they pass out stock options like they're candy -just to later eliminate the employees who had the most options available. The human resources department preferred to keep its head in the sand and believe company morale was high instead of actually listening to the employees. They were always quick to fire anyone who actually spoke up about the state of affairs. When I was on staff, the place was full of people who were having affairs. They got their roots by destroying a small family run company who were actually a tight-knit group of people who enjoyed their jobs and liked being part of something special.

Advice to Senior Management

Walk the walk. If you want to be like a great company, then put the effort in on YOUR side of the table. Don't simply speak the words and pray someone else pulls you through from the other side.