MICROS Systems Reviews

Pros

young people
team atmosphere
good entry level position

Cons

MICROS
they dont replace people who quit so more work is put on the employees still there
pay
benefits
current president at TIG

Advice to Senior Management

TIG would be more successful and the employees/clients would be happier if the company went back to how it used to be before MICROS bought the company.

Pros

- Location in Columbia and right off of 95

-Coffee shop on the first floor with nice ladies working there

-There was a really cute girl who worked in HR

-Pay isn't great but it worked - I needed a job and they hired me.

 -My VP Rick was a great boss and is the kind of leader Micros needs.

Cons

I actually stopped working here in 08, but the choise for that year wasn't listed in the drop down box. My reasons for leaving here months after being hired:

-To put my comments into context - my job was to coordinate the installation and implementation of the Opera hotel management system at hotels in a certain hotel chain. I got the paperwork together, I booked the implementation team's flights and rental cars, and I communicated with the hotel management staff. I also supported the implementation tema on a non-technical level (our awesome tech support team did that - and they did a great job too, not surprised it was hard to hold onto them). At the end of the install, I'd process the job in a billing system and move on to the next. I often had 5-6 installations occuring at once, which was stressful but manageable.

-Part of my job involved obtaining license codes to give to the Implementation Specialists out in the field installing Opera systems at hotels. This is a time sensitive task. However, if one little mistake was made on the form, it was rejected by a nemless person on another floor, with no explanation - and the process continued until you got it right. This often took a lot of time, leaving the Implementation person hanging out to dry. I know as you get more experienced, you make less mistakes, but I was doing this on my first day

-In addition, there were a lot of forms I needed to fill out for each hotel I was coordinating....which meant entering hotel information, address, inn codes, license codes, costs, phone numbers, employee names, product numbers.....over and over and over again into spreadsheets. I developed a spreadsheet with simple formulas that completed 5 steps in one, and presented to my VP.....he loved the idea, but I could see the frustration in his face that it would never be allowed to be used, since they are so stuck in their ways

-We had to arrange for a certain number of installers/implementation specialists to be at a scheduled site within a specific timeframe. So, for example, a hotel is cutting over to Opera on a certain date, there were 3 employees I needed to schedule to be there. However, they scheduled way too many installations at the same time, and we didn't have enough employees to assign. So Project Specialists would fight over who got who, and would sometimes even go into the scheduling system and move the employee to their project themselves. There was an employee on the schedule called "Hope Chest" which was a place we schedule jobs when there weren't enough employees, "hoping" we'd find someone. Often at the last secondd someone would open up and we'd automatically assign them. Keep in mind, these employees have to be flown accross the country, so it's not as easy as it sounds. Calling an installer who just got off a 2 week job in Wyoming and telling them they have to run and catch a flight to Tennessee in an hour was not fun. And many evenings I had to stay past the 5:00 closing time ebcause I couldn't find people to complete my installations.

-We were expected to carry a company cell phone and be available for our installers 24/7, because they often worked overnight - but we didn't have any resources outside of work, so what were we supposed to be able to do for them?

-When it was time for billing, the process was incredibly inefficient. you had to track reports, enter data into an archaic billing system, send spreadsheets.....it easily got lost in the shuffle. Occasionally we'd get a few reports about unbilled installations....but no follow-up. I bet the company loses a TON of money here. I'm sure if you audited the billing, you'd find hotels with free Micros Opera systems running! (An earlier review on here stated that Tom G. claimed investors love reading bad reviews on here because it shows he runs a "tight ship" - I bet they'd also like to read the part on how much money Micros is losing on faulty billing!)

-The office environment was so bland, boring, and uncreative. Just rows and rows of greay cubicles, white walls, beige accents.....thankfully people sometimes decorated their cubes. No natural light unless you were near a window. Internet access is locked down except for Micros related websites. No checking personal email, no reading news. You could always tell on the days when the internet filter was not working, everyone seemed in a better mood and more energized.

-The CEO/Executive suite was in a locked secured area of the building. We went on an orientation tour, and even the person gving the tour was scared to be near the executive suite.

-He would watch for people in the lobby coming in late (as in a minute past 8:00am).

-Overall, this is by far the worst place I ever worked. Ever. My friends at other jobs would often stare in disbelief when I told them about this. Which is why when I quit, I never looked back! So long Micros, it's been a dream since I've left!

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to your employees, I bet the company would run more efficiently and with less turnover if you just made the environment better. And don't use the excuse "we're too big" - I've seen enormous companies make changes like this and they have paid off!!!

Pros

It's a job
It keeps me out of the house
It's a steady paycheck
Bennefits are ok.
Thats about it.

Cons

First off I would like to say that the lack of training an documentation to do our jobs is astounding. Any other support center would have a central documentation database to support thier products. Trying to get documentation out of your coworkers is utterly useless. If you try to ask management for help, all you get is grief. The fascist style micro management of the departments is enough to make your head explode. If you like having your every move tracked and have everything you do analyized, this is the place for you! If you suck up enough to management you will be ok. The lower your IQ the better. Micros loves people that will conform. Forget about trying to have the slightest bit of personality. If management senses that you may be having a good time at work, they imidietly intervine. The phrase: a happy employee is a productive employee does not apply for this company. Forget about trying to have your schedule changed once it has been made. You might as well call out if you need a day off for a personal matter.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to your employees, they are smarter than you think.
"there is a solution on that" is not the answer to every problem that comes through the call center.

Pros

Very serious company, number 1 in hospitality industry in the world.

Cons

Not much downsides, just very busy at work but it's not really downside...

Advice to Senior Management

It's really good idea to change outdated computers

Pros

Learn what you can then move on. If you love to travel this is the place to be for Project implementation.

Cons

Upper Management needs to show more considerate to the backbone of the company - the employees. Treat your employees like human being, get to know them.

Advice to Senior Management

A human touch will not take away from your image, if you're walking the hall and someone says hi it's ok to respond.

Pros

Plenty of work to be done and the products you work on will be used by hundreds of people. In the Columbia area, many jobs are government so if you are a foreigner MICROS offers an alternative for employment. Just hope that your spouse works somewhere else to have enough money to pay the bills

Cons

Utterly horrific work environment. Prominent personnel leave weekly. The primary FOH developer, the primary BOH developer, a few good testers, and even the CFO have all left within a month, around the time I left. With no documented descriptions of how anything works, how much longer can this place survive? And product documentation? There is only one tech writer for this near-billion-dollar company. Pathetic.

This is not like any other tech place in the world because you must work 8-5 with a lunch that must be from 12-1. This is highly inconvenient for people with kids or the need for different schedules. The managers here understand that the schedule is ridiculous but all are too cowardly to raise the point with the CEO.

Truly they pay 15-20% under the average for the area, and when my husband recently interviewed in the area the other employers and recruiters knew about MICROS reputation for being a crappy place to work and underpaying. Weekends are always on the table and you often have to work them. There is no hope for a raise, only one direction as a career path to positions you don't want, and they will keep you two positions below your actual value anyway.

Advice to Senior Management

Whatever. You just do not care. Nothing that is said on here will convince you how stupid you are as long as the stock keeps going up. It will not for long.

Pros

Good Health Insurance
Few coworkers are great
Had a great Managers when got hired. They would encourage self-motivation and respect
professional opinion. They have left since then.

Cons

Lack of growth opportunity, at least when working for a district office.
Promotions and rewards are not given on merit bases but passed under a table as personal favor.
People who worked there 10+ years are highly insecure and use CYA tacticts waiting to stab the backs of new employees with more knowledge and skills.
Hostile environment micromanaged by lazy and insecure people.
Common believe is that lazy, clueless and liars are beeing rewarded.

Advice to Senior Management

You need to boost employee morale and stop rewarding people whose only motivation to get a management position is to have a place to take a nap.

Pros

Health benefits are decent.
Vacation time is acceptable.
Sick time is offered, but they will require a Dr's note (it's like being in grade school).

Cons

MICROS treats everyone they employ equally.... like dirt. You have two choices at all times, cooperate with them, or leave. There is no room for creative thinking, they will not work with their employees to foster growth. MICROS does not care about their employees and they barely seem to care for their customers. Any position with them WILL put you in a therapists office within 6 months. The pay is usually horrible. The expense accounts are laughable. The HR department is a joke. Save yourself and stay as far away from this place as possible.

Advice to Senior Management

Treat people like human beings. Offer them positive reinforcement and opportunities for growth. Identify and retain the few good people you lure in as opposed to beating them down.

Pros

Travel is availiable if you have the right job. Small teams are very good to work in, but overall guidence is lacking.

Cons

Weekends are non exsistant, to move up the work life balance has to be vastly skewed to work. Nepotism exsists at the highest level. New CFO gave her husband her old job.

Advice to Senior Management

Provide more feedback and growth opportunities.

Pros

There was a lot of opportunity to travel and work with different people from around the country with a lot of flexibility and independence.

Cons

There was a lot of travel which can cause problems in family and personal lives. There was also limited support in initial position training.

Advice to Senior Management

C-Level executives should provide greater flexibility to middle management to actively impact the direction of the origination, especially with regards to employee recruitment and retention.