Harris Interactive Reviews

Former Employee – worked at Harris Interactive

Pros – Some extremely knowledgeable and talented senior staff and they're willing to share and teach their expertise
Finance has their act together and do a good job managing the books conservatively
IT well equipped for the job and well executed
Survey methodology specialists on staff
Decent efforts in training staff and communicating corporate news

Cons – Survey methodologists were let go
Inwardly-focused organization - layers of bureaucracy to navigate in order to get daily work accomplished
Wants to be consultative to clients but performs like a field and tab house - lots of order takers
Lots of job titles billing hours to projects with no discernible benefit to clients
Panel in terrible shape

Advice to Senior Management – Streamline the processes and reduce bureaucracy
Encourage/expect all staff to think of the client's end goals always! This means sample pullers, project schedulers and estimators, topic experts, and sales people - and researchers of course

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Harris Interactive

Pros – - flexibility. Managers tend to be very supportive of self-management and provide time off when needed
- responsibility. Any desire to take on more responsibility is honored and encouraged.
- brand name accounts. Great opportunities to work with big name brands.

Cons – - turnover. Harris doesn't seem to value intellectual capital and allows valuable individuals to leave without protest.
- lack of direction. HI made a name for itself as an online research company. They have not continued to innovate and therefore have lost their competitive edge.
- lack of identity. Too big for a boutique and too small for a major player, they seem unsure of where they fit in the research space.

Advice to Senior Management – Decide who you want to be, Pick a direction, state it clearly to employees, and outline a tangible plan for reaching each goal.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Harris Interactive

Pros – Friendly work environment, direct supervisors are always avaliable to their subordinates, cross training sessions to understand other departments are helpful in knowledge growth.

Cons – Company does not present clear career path definition for employees of middle management or below, senior and executive level management is not transparent enough to allow for sense of job security. We are also at the bottom of the spectrum in compensation for Market Research firms of our size and recognition.

Advice to Senior Management – Listen to your employees and what they have to say- we know this company on an operational level, not as a balance sheet and can provide insight.

Former Employee – worked at Harris Interactive

Pros – Great online database of poll participants
Good reputation in the market research field
Innovative research methods
Good work life balance

Cons – Way too many layers of management
No internal communication between divisions
Internal fueding way too prevalent to have any level of success

Advice to Senior Management – Offer more opportunity for career growth by creating individual growth plans for every employee. Allow researchers to be researchers and not make them into sales people

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Harris Interactive

Pros – Highly intelligent people still work at this company, mostly in middle-management positions, but the number is shrinking. Upper-management is more concerned with developing gimmicks and hiring bloated executives than investing in these individuals and those under them.

Cons – No retirement benefits, high health insurance premiums, salaries below industry medians, long and stressful hours, and cumbersome research processes.

Even before the economic downturn this company had no willingness to invest in the professional development of its employees (training, workshops, conferences).

Advice to Senior Management – Remember that a company's greatest asset is its employees. Attracting and maintaining intellectual capital (competitive salaries, retirement benefits, bonuses, merit-based promotions) should be a top priority for upper-management.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Harris Interactive

Pros – They didn't downsize me, like they have with 25%+ of the rest of the US workforce

Cons – They have suspended the company match on the 401k. The health care costs (bi-weekly premiums employees pay to simply have health insurance) are advancing at a much faster pace than the annual raises. Therefore, when you combine basic inflation, plus insurance costs, it's like we're taking a pay cut every October when we get our "raises" (when the raises aren't even matching inflation rates to begin with).

Advice to Senior Management – Stop firing the Indians, and start firing the Chiefs.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Harris Interactive

Pros – Industry subject intelligence, competitive salaries

Cons – Bad corporat culture, unfairness in promotions, cut-throat managment style, bad employee moral

Advice to Senior Management – Value employees, fairness in promotions, listen to employee and treat them with respect, poorly trained managers

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Harris Interactive

Pros – This company has a tight-knit work 'family' and we all work for the common goal. personal achievements are recognized, hard work is praised and management gives great feedback. your progress is well monitored without feeling like you are being micromanaged. hard work rarely goes unrecognized and the company provides cross-department training so you can do your job better by understanding what your colleagues do. The benefits are good and they offer a generous 401k compensation plan.

Cons – we have gone through some restructuring this past year and that sometimes makes you wonder if your job is secure. the benefits have gone from excellent to good and merit raises were less this year than in the past. perhaps all effects of the economy though. additionally, they pay a bit less than our competitors for the exact same position.

Advice to Senior Management – The company has improved quite a bit in recent months in terms of vision and direction for the coming years. keep up the good work!

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Harris Interactive

Pros – Harris is an excellent company going through a difficult period. The people below senior management are incredible. It is a great learning experience.

Cons – Too often the good people leave and the driftwood stays.

Advice to Senior Management – Clear the way for those able to lead.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Harris Interactive

Pros – The company offers employees great research industry experience.

Cons – Seeing highly-qualified employees heading for greener pastures is somewhat troubling. The job is demanding and the rewards are few. No clear path for career advancement.

Advice to Senior Management – Hire and retain senior managers that have Market Research industry experience.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend