The Ryland Group Reviews

Pros

They have the best employees and the nicest coworkers. It's a real family-oriented environment with summer picnics and xmas parties for employees. The offices are modern and well maintained.

Cons

They're downsizing, laying people off and cutting benefits all of the time. They've been stifled by the recession and it's unclear if they will recover. There have been no raises for two years and continue to close offices around the country. They aren't big on flex-time and have a lousy 401k plan. There are some VERY difficult members of management depending in which department you work for.

Advice to Senior Management

They should be more flexible and try to to a better job of rewarding/recognizing employees.

Pros

Good opportunity for income if you are lucky enough to be given a good selling position. Training is good if you are a rookie and need a good foundation.

Cons

In sales you are more likely to be successful based on luck than skill. They place too much emphasis on role playing as if they are "real-world" scenarios when they are not.

Advice to Senior Management

Management needs help the sales staff and give them the support they need and create a system where opportunities are granted based on production and performance.

Pros

Excellent training, uncapped income potential 100% commission structure, great benefits.

Cons

Favoritism with among sales mangers to sales counselors. You could be assigned to a great community with a lot of marketing for traffic to come in to your door or be placed in a community so far out no one comes to see you. You have no say in where you are placed to sell. When times of economic downturn a salary plus commission structure will be great. Expected to work every weekend and if a weekend is taken off for a ie wedding , graduation it is frowned upon. Training can be repetitive same speakers and same material and you are expected to come in on your days off to do the training.

Advice to Senior Management

Update your salary structure especially during a global economic downturn. Selling is cyclical stop with the menality of everyone is replaceable and sales people are only as good as their last sale.

Pros

Great pay. Great bonuses. Excellent benefits.
Family friendly.
Highly ethical -- you can work for this company in good conscience.

Cons

Management does not award excellence.
Somewhat cliquish.
Little opportunity for advancement.
Field employees are occasionally forgotten in the sense of inclusion.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep doing what you are doing. Award excellence and provide opportunities for ALL employees. Once the market recovers, increase bonuses and benefits again.

Pros

Offered pretty good benefits.
20+ locations to choose from.
Pleasant co-workers that were more than willing to help when needed.

Cons

Did not feel that the pay was on par with comparable companies
Did not feel I had a realistic shot at reaching management level.

Advice to Senior Management

Take the time to make staff feel as if they have ownership in decision making and direction of the company.

Pros

Good Benefits/ 401K/ good team members

Cons

Long Hours on weekends and holidays

Advice to Senior Management

Involve sales in decision making process

Pros

Excellent training for the fresh graduate looking to get into their first real estate job. A real opportunity for those that enjoy selling a good product and have great people skills. Good for entry level.

Cons

Promises of promotion are not always fulfilled. Sales are the first to be blamed for poor sales and the last to be recognized when things are going well.

Advice to Senior Management

Learn to recognize talent in the field more effectively. Management in Minnesota was too focused on what was wrong instead of what was going well in the field. Feedback from the sales force was largely unheard and discouraged. Politicking garnered more favorable neighborhoods to certain sales people instead of merit based rewards to producers.

Pros

Hours are great if you can get used to working weekends. Management is very responsive to needs if you are proactive about voicing them. Brilliant leaders in management level. Top notch company training program in Tempe, AZ.

Cons

Management clearly has their favorite employees that they try not to upset. Training program is great, but it is overkill with yearly role-play competition, online training, and weekly training. Give a strong sales team a break every once in a while! Business is cyclical, and rewards, moral, bonuses, and trips all go down/away when times get tough. Many new managerial positions filled from outside companies.

Advice to Senior Management

Promote from within and ease up on the training. Does anyone read all of the reports that the sales team generates? Meetings are too long. Time can be better spent SELLING HOMES. Please focus on the large talent pool that you use so many resources on to train within the company.

Pros

Benefits are the best thing going for Ryland

Cons

It's there way or the highway. No input accepted from employees

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to your employees

Pros

It is an entrepreneurial group. If the housing market is in good shape this is a pretty good company to work for. They have a pretty good benifits package and match on retirement plans and company stock purchases are pretty good.

Cons

This is a very cyclical industry. Now that the houasing market has tanked, bonuses for staff have gone down to nothing. Base salerys are less then the market pays at other companies. The promise is that you will make up for lost salery on bonuses.

Advice to Senior Management

Spread the money out a bit more

Management goes through the motions of tyring to keep employees happy, but it feels like they are doing it because they are supposed to do it. Many employees base saley does not provide them with the income required to meet daily needs.