Time Warner Reviews

Pros

Company helps you break through the media business and intern program coordinator likes feedback from the interns about their experience.

Cons

Review process involving intern supervisor is one-sided and would like to see intern write about their experience.

Advice to Senior Management

Be more open with employees with the future plans and health of the company.

Pros

Great resume booster- well recognized and respected brands open doors. From my position, I was able to see how the entire company was run which gave me insight to an international business. I was able to take on projects above my position and outside of my department to assist in my career development. Generally, the company likes to hire from within, so there is opportunity to move around the company.

Cons

High turnover rate- most people don't stay long because issues are ignored rather than dealt with, particularly disrespect among coworkers. Cutthroat- must be willing to politic in order to get ahead. Advancement is not always based on achievement or loyalty to the company. Issues of racial discrimination ignored by HR. Management doesn't know how to manage people.

Advice to Senior Management

Find ways to keep good employees rather than rewarding those who make the most noise.

Pros

Great Benefits, 4 weeks vacation, excellent cafeteria, fun work environment (depending on which property you work for)

Cons

Hard to move up or get promoted. Seems to be a bit of favoritism when deciding on who to promote. Struggling in these tough economic times. Depending where you work the hours could be long, due to under staffing.

Advice to Senior Management

Stop laying off all of the smart, talented, loyal employees and replacing them/promoting idiots.

Pros

If you like your division, it could be great. It's all about your direct manager -- and staying away from the firing line.

Cons

Constant layoffs. Different direction every week.
There is also no way to move between divisions. Where you're hired is where you'll die. There's a union, but it's very weak (both in leadership and power) -- might not be such a terrible thing, but don't expect them to defend you.
The company seems to be leaning toward firing staffers and just having people write and edit freelance.
But biggest problem: Time Inc is a magazine company that wants to pretend its a content company. As a result it's doing neither magazines nor websites well.

Advice to Senior Management

Pick a strategy and stick with it. Go down many levels and get ideas from some of the lower rungs.

Pros

Flexibility in the job and the variety of work available to do is primary for me staying at this company. The work that my particular group does is interesting, refreshing and current with today's companies and technologies. The ability to work flexible hours is ideal. The compensation seems fair. The line-level managers keep the employees informed as much as they are able.

Cons

The uncertainty of the company direction and the uncertainty of the market make working here frustrating and scary. Although the company feels they have a direction, it is not apparent to me. Certain money making properties have been thrown over board in light of making "softer" dollars.

Advice to Senior Management

Don't give up on money making entities within the company. Do more due diligence when buying and selling properties/companies.

Pros

visibility, prestige - an exciting and fast paced place to work. Impressive to future employers. lots of IC and temporary positions. They are more frequently hiring these since they don't have to pay benefits. Moving more and more into web media so opportunities exist in these fields.

Cons

very big, could get lost in shuffle or red tape. They want to hire more and more temporary or independant contractor positions, so if you land one of these the negative of course is no benefits.

Advice to Senior Management

don't get bogged down with details and red tape

Pros

The employee benefits are by far the best thing about Time Warner. Also the location, right in the middle of Manhattan is great. Also the parking garage being located in the building is a huge plus. Another great thing is the company has locations all over the world, so you're able to go almost anywhere. They also make it extremely easy to move to another location by providing assistance and counseling should you need. The company is streamlined from top to bottom making it easy on when you switch positions or locations.. Overall Time Warner is a great company to work for.

Cons

Although the pay is great, I believe their are other "networks" that pay a little more. However, at the other "networks", you end up taking a cut on your benefits and vacation time. The cafeteria in New York, although quite good, leaves a little to be desired. Also, the ability to transfer internationally can be limited at times being that many people want to work overseas for Time Warner. Another issue that I and many others have experienced is the problem with the lateral move. If you decide that you don't want to move up, just somewhere else you are supposed to have a meeting with human resources. However, many people have discovered that human resources will then alert your supervisor that you are thinking of leaving, which can create some issues with your supervisor.

Advice to Senior Management

Be more diverse with the assignment of senior positions. Although Time Warner is a diverse company, i still believe that there could and should be more women and minorities in senior level positions.

Pros

Co-workers are great and the company offers good benefits.

Cons

Business decisions made by upper management often make little to no sense. It seems like change for the sake of change. The lay-offs are so common place, so random and so poorly handled that it evokes very little confidence in management.

Advice to Senior Management

Find new senior management.

Pros

Time Warner pays well, and is a leader in the fields of media, entertainment and magazine publishing. It's based in New York City, so it beats working for, say, Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati.

Cons

Top management has no idea what it is doing, has replaced qualified with unqualified people in top positions, shows no loyalty to people who have spent their professional lives at the company, and has ruined the companies businesses to the point where the stock price has fallen from $80 to $8.

Advice to Senior Management

Senior management at Time Warner Corporate should understand that the leaders of the divisions understand their businesses far better than they do. The company should sell AOL to some company that understands the Internet, and sell Time Inc. to some company that cares about publishing. Let these people go!

Pros

Excellent employee benefits and perks compared with other companies. Quality products and global leader in many areas of media. Stellar office conditions in terms of new equipment and facilities. They have traditionally hired only the brightest and best in each division. Employees have a tremendous work ethic and are willing to stay late and work diligently to get the job done. Offer onsite training and conferences to educate employees on media landscape and how different areas of the company operate. Management participates in lunch and learn programs to communicate strategic direction for the future and challenges in the competitive landscape.

Cons

Stuck with old regime and takes a tremendous amount of time and energy to change focus and direction in challenges economic times. Management tends not to encourage new ideas from lower level ranks and looks at each other for new ideas. Senior Management is less likely to move quickly to remove ineffective middle line managers until permanent damage is done. It's still not a nimble organization positioned to counteract and challenge the smaller media competitors.

Advice to Senior Management

Think outside the box and gain insight from those working in the trenches.