ReadyTalk Reviews

Pros

ReadyTalk was voted the best company to work for in Colorado multiple years in a row. Here are some reasons why-

1) The ReadyTalk culture is like a family. Everyone is approachable and supportive.

2) ReadyTalk has great leadership. All the way across the board. From the CEO to the Directors to the Product Managers to the Scrum Masters to the Direct Managers. They are always able to make time to speak with anyone in the company. I often spoke with all of them.

3) The CEO and ReadyTalk supports employees in all kinds of ways. He encourages charity work, he gives us unlimited amounts of food and drinks, he encourages exercise and supports gym time.

4) The company started a ESOP

5) Free Eco-Pass Unlimited RTD

6) I really liked the Gym membership reimbursement. Plus they have corporate deals with the two best gyms downtown.

7) Good pay and vacation

8) One of my favorite aspects of working at ReadyTalk was the complete support of collaboration. Everyone is always working together, talking together, figuring out solutions together. They also can be seen just catching up and saying hello. Everyone seems to make the time to connect.

9) ReadyTalk sponsors employee charity work big time. I was able to put in 5 full paid days of charity work while I was at ReadyTalk. I had enormous support from the other employees, at the Forzability ride I had over 35 people participate 2 years in a row. We also did habitat for humanity, Christmas gifts for kids and created a room for women and children.

10) A huge amount of ReadyTalk sponsored parties. Just a really fun group in general. So much laughter and fun.

Cons

1) I wish they had more offices in other areas in the United States. My wife was relocated to the Bay Area and I no option but to leave this fun group. Though they did give me three goodbye parties which involved lots of food and drinks.
2) Too much Dove chocolate, chips and nuts available. You have to be really disciplined or you will have to exercise just to support your food habit.

Advice to Senior Management

It would be cool if there was more chance for title improvement. For instance, instead of everyone being a QA engineer, maybe add a senior QA engineer title for those who have proven themselves.

Pros

The CEO is awesome. Very smart, great guy. The 1st line engineering managers are sharp, trying to do the best they can. Very flat organization. Easy access to talk to CEO, CTO, VP, etc.

The team is filled with unique individuals.

Pretty diverse, good group of people. The company is very invested in being cool and having a cool culture. Office above the bookstore in downtown Denver. The free food -- and of course beer -- is excellent.

ReadyTalk is testing employee's personality and trying to get a good cohesive team with different strengths. I like the idea, would like to see more effort placed here.

Cons

Lacking in leadership, software architecture, and planning. Processes are being put in place, but everything is driven by the product and marketing teams. This has led to frustration amongst engineers about the control we have into the product. As multiple engineers have left ReadyTalk, the question of developer feedback/input has been brought up. Unfortunately, management has strengthened their resolve that they know best. Sadly, I do not see this improving.

The company is brimming with good ideas, but lacks a killer instinct to test or try them out. I assume this is because we don't have enough time. The lack of time is our fault. Deploying code is slow. The build is understood by only a few people. Debugging small things take a non-trivial amount of time due to lack of documentation.

The 20% time is more of a candy bar for engineering. Very little has made it out of "labs" into the product. Strangely, product marketing was told NOT to watch the presentations -- which is odd, why not let engineering show what is possible?

There is a cult of personality at ReadyTalk, following seniority. Occasionally, someone endowed with this power will throw their weight around when they're in over their head in technical details instead of having an architectural discussion. That's not to say they're wrong all the time either, but that's not a culture of good software engineering practices.

Pointing out problems in processes, infrastructure, or even code will not endear yourself to senior management (VP and/or CTO). Strangely, even talking with coworkers about problems could be seen as "stirring the pot". Its best to not complain about problems, otherwise you may find yourself marginalized or fired.

Advice to Senior Management

Live up to the mores and values of the company. Trust your employees. Speak with integrity. Be transparent. A mentorship program would go a long way.

Pros

The people, the benefits, location, pay, and experience.

Cons

I believe there might be some limiting views in hiring good general talent due to previous standards set and the plethora of talent available at time in very specific areas.

Pros

ReadyTalk has a positive and fun vibe throughout the entire office. Fun Facts include Office bikes available for company use, locker rooms, dog friendly, visiting massage therapist and chiropractor, 20 hours of paid volunteer time per year. Free snacks and drinks available.

Cons

Everyone seems to be extreme athletes so don't go on a "company jog" if you don't run a 4 minute mile!

Pros

ReadyTalk is an exciting, thriving, and community-minded company. I feel honored to have been apart of the team there.

Cons

ReadyTalk is an open environment in that there are no offices (even the CEO and VPs have cubicles). The only "con" that I can think of - and I have to think really hard - is that sometimes the low walls don't provide enough "sound-proofing" for client calls.

Advice to Senior Management

The ReadyTalk management team is comprised of supportive leaders and industry experts. I felt engaged and motivated during my time at the company.

Pros

cool downtown location above book store, good benefits

Cons

a "know it all" culture within upper management and technical divisions (developers, etc.) Tend to "pigeon hole" people in certain roles with limited opportunities for advancement.

Advice to Senior Management

try not to be such Boulder elites, and be willing to admit when you have made a bad hire that is hurting the whole group

Pros

Great benefits, some very smart people. Can be a fun place to work.

Cons

It looks like they just want to hire people who are just like them. They do not like outside opinions or anything which may rock the boat, no matter how true it is. They really push people to vote to get the "Best Company To Work For" award each year.

Advice to Senior Management

You lack leadership. Practice what you preach.

Pros

The benefits are fantastic. People are bright.

Cons

Readytalk has an arrogant atmosphere, and unfortunately the pay isn't that great. A long term plan is in place, but in an effort to be flexible, they regularly give up long term planning. It's a difficult place to feel comfortable.

Advice to Senior Management

Not sure. As a whole the people are decent, intelligent people to work with, but there seems to be a cult of personality that exists. It's difficult to put a finger on exactly what the problem is. It isn't that people are not approachable, but there is definitely something not quite right at the place.