SoftLayer Reviews

Former Employee – worked at SoftLayer full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – There are some very good employees and middle managers. Opportunity to make several good personal network connections in a fast moving high tech business.

Cons – If you enjoy being barked at, this is the place for you. Following our takeover of the Planet, the CEO passed out a copy of "The Prince" by Machiavelli to all of the recently acquired Planet managers. This of course to bring home the point that they had been conquered. I never felt more sorry for a group of managers.

If senior management does not get what it wants the first time - this is met with a screaming, condescending tantrum. If you enjoy verbal whippings - this is the place for you.

Advice to Senior Management – Learn that no one cares what you know - until they know that you care.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at SoftLayer

Pros – 1) good learning environment
2) training modules to acclimate us to the types of issues we would commonly see
3) OT was just about always offered if we wanted it

Cons – 1) pay was incredibly low. I came in with several years of experience, but was treated as if I was brand new, and was consistently called "cocky" for not asking for help for things I knew how to do.
2) male dominated culture, with no reason to change it in the datacenters. Females are treated weird... sometimes in a good way, but mostly in a bad way.
3) I heard lots of complaints from many different techs that had been promoted, but never received the accompanying pay increases. Job promotions were routinely pushed off until techs were ready to quit over things that had been promised, and never fulfilled.

Advice to Senior Management – Be honest with the employees. If you promise people a set course for a promotion, don't turn it around and get mad at them for completing their roles, and expecting you to live up to your side of the bargain. Be more understanding that you're starting techs off at a very low pay, and that if you're expecting to keep talent, that talent has to be paid for.

Current Employee – been working at SoftLayer

Pros – SoftLayer is full of opportunities. Sometimes those opportunities aren't very clear, but the most ambitious employees find ways to excel in a challenging work environment. From an infrastructure perspective, the company was built to completely change the game in web hosting, and the amazing growth over the past few years is a testament to that innovation. The people here are some of the best folks on the planet to work with, and I feel very valued as an employee.

Cons – SoftLayer was born with a "startup culture," and that can seem very protected and closed off, especially if employees don't have opportunities to build relationships that will make them feel "in."

Advice to Senior Management – I think the biggest key is to visit employees in all of the offices. Given the "con" listed above, employees in every location want opportunities to build relationships with senior management. The more communication lower-level employees get from senior management, the more those employees will feel like part of the team.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at SoftLayer

Pros – The culture is great. People love working here. Very entrepreneurial and very rewarding. The tremendous growth of the company presents great opportunities for employees to advance their careers.

Cons – Because of the tremendous growth you can easily fall behind if you can't keep up the pace. Entry level positions may not pay great, but the pay improves as you advance.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at SoftLayer

Pros – 1. A foot in the door to the IT industry. It is a good entry point.
2. The training is good, as you will receive a daily dose of the industry standard technology.
3. There are a number of technology events you can attend, and it will improve your overall understanding of the industry.

Cons – 1. Not a very advanced company, a bit on the primitive side of the things.
2. Corporate culture is lacking. Hierarchical, good ol boys network. It's like joining a frat house. Not at all professional. Cloistered, insecure, they don't like the outside world.
3. Mostly scared insecure nerds.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at SoftLayer

Pros – The web hosting industry is very stable right now. Softlayer struggles to hire people, there is good job security. Free snacks and soda. There is alot of work todo, you will not be bored.

They pay a premium for php developers (even if you do not have a lot of experience). Negotiate hard going in... as there is no annual pay raise policy.

Cons – You are given a phone and expected to be available 24x7. Lots of people talk about having two jobs... office hours and 'outside' office hours. Management threaten to fire employees if things go wrong.... 'put names in a hat and pick one out... that person is going to be fired'.

There seems to be a two different 'classes' of employees.... if you are in the 'club' you will get stock options and pay raises, very few people are in the club. The company is very top heavy, not much room for promotion.

Advice to Senior Management – Treating your employees like adults will result in a better working environment. Trust your employees, they are doing a great job given the difficult circumstances.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at SoftLayer

Pros – Middle management was fair and open
Relaxed work environment
Higher pay than other companies in the area

Cons – Parking was too far away from the building and not mentioned until you were already on board
The ex-CEO had no good corporate vision
Too many work hours without good comp time
Staff was run too lean
Some middle management had no interest in speaking to those who worked directly (or two layers) below them

Former Employee – worked at SoftLayer

Pros – The only positive thing about this company is their benefits package.

Cons – * If you aren't a member of the family or good friends with the senior management team, you will go no where in this company.
* This company looks for the lowest skilled people they can find to do the most important tasks. Makes for those who are knowledgeable to hate the place.
* Management does not care or want to listen to suggestions.
* Senior management seems to have a gruge against anyone that was a legacy The Planet employee.

Advice to Senior Management – Take some of the better things that The Planet was doing and implement them. The "this is how SoftLayer has always done it, so that's how we'll continue to do it" mentality has to go away. The company is no longer a startup and should not be ran like one.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at SoftLayer

Pros – The pay and benefits is above average for anyone wanting to start out in an IT career.

Cons – Management has no concept of how to be a good leader. They all have a fly by the seat of the pants approach to running day to day business. Company policy changes on a daily basis. You are "expected" to put SoftLayer above family.

Advice to Senior Management – Join the military and learn how to become a good leader.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at SoftLayer

Pros – The Planet is a great company to work for to obtain experience with assisting customers and getting yourself trained in standard call center procedures used in most call centers (call/chat metrics, handling emails, tickets, timeliness, micromanagement). You will gain knowledge related to the web hosting industry, basic knowledge relate to credit card processing for online orders, as well as general knowledge related to web hosting services. Fair job promotions are given to individuals who excel in the processes they are trained to handle.

Cons – Communication issues with managements vs. non-managerial employees (technical specialists, customer service, or account representatives). Procedures are set in place to handle specific tasks however updates are not relayed properly. Evaluations are completed within a timely manner, however management will point out areas of improvement and will not proactively assist employees towards resolution. Favoritism amongst managers and specific employees; fairly high turnover rate may lead representatives to seek other job opportunities due to uneven workload. Communication to Human Resource are viewed as "complaints" which as a result will remain unresolved.

Advice to Senior Management – Focus on improving the overall internal and external Customer Service experience within every department at The Planet/SoftLayer. Keep a closer eye on Shift supervisors and departmental managers to determine if there are unresolved interdepartmental issues. Work with your employees if there are areas of improvement in an effort to maintain a positive morale. Work towards maintaining a fair and positive work environment for all levels of management, as well as proactively resolving communication with Human Resources.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend