Harry & David Holdings Reviews

Pros

Good product. Excellent paid time off. Company very generous with paid time off packet. Only really busy 6 weks out of the year. Work load for managers is not as heavy as with other retail companies.

Cons

medical was recently changed not a good packet at all. Company is going through a lot of financial issues right now. Laid off managers only to then go and create a new CFO position. Company at this point not stable.

Advice to Senior Management

Be honest and up front with your employees. We know more than what you think we do.

Pros

If you love the community. The Rogue Valley is stunning: beautiful river, great mountains, and Ashland offers some dining and culture. And maybe you're tired of the rat race, maybe you can buy twice as big of a house in Medford. You don't really care about exceeding your workplace, really know what's going on. Love watercooler chats about how the company is screwing you. And most importantly really really like meetings.

Cons

Weight gain from eating all of the samples that linger around the building. Alcoholism from drinking heavily to cope with the feeling that management makes you feel like you are incapable of doing anything right. Therapy charges from the way 100 vice presidents make you feel like everything you ever knew might not be true anymore. And a divorce lawyer because your spouse has become annoyed that you don't show up for dinner anymore and you keep throwing around the idea of starting your own business because there is so much opportunity in this new town you've moved to (although no one has any money).

Advice to Senior Management

Fire yourselves. You are way too top-heavy. You don't relate or listen to your workers. You make people feel inadequate, instead of capable of growth. You encourage middle management to be relentless and torturous, without training anyone actually how to manage people effectively. The fact you have a rather busy company psychologist on staff for senior management might be a clue that there are bigger issues than whether or not should meet for four hours about where to find costumes of fruit for the next management update meeting.

Pros

There are very few places to work in the valley so many people take jobs here and quickly find out what a terrible place it is... don't do what we did, pick up your family and move to Medford. Life's too short.

Cons

Fear-based management from the top down. Very paranoid business culture.

Advice to Senior Management

All the good people have left - what does that tell you?

Pros

Great place to retire. Not a very high stress place to work. The area is great and home prices are still pretty good, better than California. Ashland is a great town with great food and great theater. Not very stressful and easy work hours 9-5. Can work on freelance and other projects too during the day.

Cons

Way too many VP's and not much management. Very TOP heavy company that loves to do the same old thing.... ugh. The departments are very fat as well. It is not the kind of company where you will be doing a ton of great work. In fact it was hard to find enough work to keep me busy enough. Small minded company that needs to rework old ideas!

Advice to Senior Management

CUT THE FAT and roll up your sleeves and do some work. The meetings are endless in that place, cut the meetings out and get to work!! Figure out how to get rid of the people that never contribute.

Pros

One of the larger employers in Southern Oregon equates to more job options than other local employers. Holiday and vacation time more generous than most. Many examples of people who have started out in entry level jobs and risen through the ranks. Despite turbulent economy etc has been only minimal layoffs in the professional ranks through multiple ownership changes.

Cons

Constant reaction mode vs strategic planning from upper management makes for wasted time and resources. Many employees (at all levels of the company) that have difficulty embracing technology and using it effectively.

Advice to Senior Management

Stay out of the minutiae and start letting the people that report to you make decisions and execute them. If you don't trust their judgment you have the wrong people in the jobs, address that.