NETGEAR Reviews

Pros

Netgear provides its employees an opportunity to grow within. Your contribution is recognized by Senior Management. The culture provides a small company atmosphere where employees usually do more with less, but with expanded job scope and responsibilities.

Cons

Employees at Netgear are usually very busy, so life, work balance can be affected. Departments are pretty lean, so again, doing more with less.

Advice to Senior Management

As you can see by company's performance, company's growth has been great. Need to continue investing on people (hiring) and resources to align company growth.

Pros

Fast growing company in a good sector. International focus. Well respected brand.

Cons

Work life balance is actively discouraged. Favoritism rather than meritocracy.

Pros

Management is supportive of new initiatives
Company is growing quickly - creating lots of opportunity for career growth
Stable - record revenues 3 quarters in a row - during a recession!
Good team that works well together and is very supportive across different functions
Good balance of work/life
It seems like some of the reviews here on the site were written before some major restructuring that occurred earlier this year. Some of those problems have been fixed since - including removing some of the problem managers.

Cons

Communications between Business Units needs improvement.
Rank and File employees can be resistive to change, especially if it impacts them directly.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep focusing on building the business in new areas.
Continue to focus on improving employee relations and building a supportive environment for employees.

Pros

The company is relatively small for its revenue and so you are exposed to lots of business processes that you would otherwise not be exposed to at a larger organization - its great for learning. The people are generally friendly and want to make a difference. The compensation package is good.

Cons

The challenge is that even with recent reorganization, much of the current upper and aspiring upper management don't understand or perhaps are unwilling to recognize that the rank and file are extremely overworked and don't feel adequately recognized for their contributions to the business. This manifests itself in management decision making that seems to lurch from fighting one fire to the next, without an ability to stick to the broader strategic plan. If you like frustrated chaos, come here. Sure, the business has seen some pretty good revenue numbers for the past couple of quarters .... but one can grow revenue either because the business is really growing by leaps and bounds OR by squeezing ever more "efficiency" out of the process and of the employees. These two scenarios result in two different reactions from employees. The revenue growth over the past couple of quarters looks reasonably good, but please do ask yourself why rank and file morale is so low if revenue is so great.....

Advice to Senior Management

Please recognize that your human capital (employees) are worth more to the company than anything else. People are often overworked and under-appreciated. Your employees can help you build a stronger company but only if you carefully listen to them --- not just "hear" them.

Pros

Compensation package seems in-line and competitive with other companies in the valley, although insurance cost may be slightly higher. Free coffee, water, sodas and popcorn. There remains some truly nice people amid the rising tide of political climbers. Some of the products are well-engineered, and the company is consistently first to market with many key products.

Cons

The re-organization of the company into business units has sent this company spiraling backwards. Communication is worse than ever, with the different business units pursuing what’s best for them, not what’s best for the company. The commercial business unit is in a constant state of flux, with staff leaving in droves, particularly due to the verbal abuse that is handed down by an ego maniacal director, while HR and executives appear to look the other way. Everyone from sales to finance to marketing and IT are overworked and understaffed. Sadly, with the economy turning around, the mass exodus will only get worse. The challenge will be in how to reverse the course that this company is on.

Advice to Senior Management

The products are good and the people are talented, but with the re-organization, there is little focus on how to turn this company into a positive environment for employees. Employees will want to stay if you treat them well and show them that you care about having a positive environment that promotes cooperation among employees, not in-fighting and hostility. Employees have been (and can be again) this company’s greatest asset.

Pros

It does come with a paycheck

Cons

Low wages. Little to no advancement opportunities. People are treated like cattle. No recognition. Leadership leaves a lot to be desired

Advice to Senior Management

Management (senior and middle management) need to get a clue and learn how to treat their employees with respect.

Pros

learning, hands-on and wide exposure to business activities

Cons

too heavy workload, less respect from management

Advice to Senior Management

respect your employees more

Pros

bonus and benefit, overall environment

Cons

outsource too much R&D to China and Taiwan

Pros

Good benefits package, and in comparison to other companies in the valley, Netgear salaries seem fair. Management has an open-door (open cube) policy and they are accessible to people of all levels. Few layers of management.

Cons

Morale here (especially in the Commercial BU) is very poor. GM and the CEO have very public tempers, and employees fear that they will be fired at any minute. The CEO's inner circle of management is stagnant and afraid to try anything new or innovative. Company runs in knee-jerk reaction to the changes by competitors, often reacting before assessing strategy. Promotions are not based on merit, and those that surround CEO with Yes Sir's rise to the top. Employees are stressed and over-worked, due to lack of staffing.

Advice to Senior Management

Realize that you have an enormous problem with morale, or soon when the market turns you'll have a long line at the exit door. Spend more time and care designing good products - quality instead of quantity. Take care of your employees as they can be a loyal resource.

Pros

Great place to work as long as you are in personal favor, good as your last success.

Cons

Fall out of favor or one mistake and you will find yourself on the street.

Advice to Senior Management

Moral within different departments is low, employees fear being let go for simple mistakes or speaking their mind, makes for cautious employees fearing to take necessary risks for the company to succeed.