Turner Broadcasting Reviews in Atlanta, GA Area

Pros

Good work-life balance in my department. No problem in getting time off if I submit request within a reasonable time frame. Great benefits package. Excellent perks, like sporting event tickets. Professional Development Center is a great resource for training in a variety of areas: software skills, management & leadership skills, and even an online "Turner 101" course which gives great background information on the history of the company. Very good recognition program. Improving satisfaction since AOL separation. I can't say enough good things about working at Turner.

Cons

The 24/7 divisions tend to have morale issues. Many people get held back from career opportunities because their management doesn't want to let them go. Burnout is also a major issue with 24/7 operations. The majority of upper management in most divisions, including mine, is white male, especially in technical areas. Upward mobility in some departments is not an option. Some technicians tend to be "pigeonholed" by their skills. Recognition program not utilized by enough employees. Often do not hear from HR when applying for internal positions.

Advice to Senior Management

Continue to address morale issues in NetOps & News divisions. Provide a sanctuary for burned out employees in those areas. Help employees who would like to change directions in their careers but don't know where to start.

Pros

It's a prestigious company. The Techwood campus is especially nice if you are someone who appreciates a less corporate atmosphere. And there are perks such as free tickets to sporting events. Before I left the company they also opened a small health clinic on site. At CNN Center you will see personalities such as Nancy Grace and Robin Meade. This contributed to a more interesting work day. You could also join special work groups for employee networking. And in my opinion it is a great place to start a career if you move on after less than 5 years. The company is so well known that it's great to have on a resume. All together, these things made the company a nice place to work....at least on the surface.

Cons

I did not work in a media department, so my department (although necessary) was not a priority to company leaders. And I found that my department heads were not really interested in employee competance (we generally hired contractors and consultants for that). Instead, the culture stressed personal relationships to a fault. There were too many people hired based soley on who they knew. This meant more qualified people were disregarded. As a result processes weren't as good as they could be because "middle" managers often didn't know how to handle their management duties properly. Some subgroups within the department did the lion share of tasks while other groups coasted. Some jobs were broken up into two jobs, therefore the "chosen" could do the more interesting tasks, whereas the "not chosen" were left with grunt work. Friendships could boost or kill a career. Quite a few capable people lost jobs once upper management changed. And managers were typically not interested in employee feedback, however they were required to ask because the over all company culture pays lip service to this idea. Because people often get and retain jobs based on friendships, you are a real threat if you are perceived as more qualified than people in higher positions. Relationships were the key to advancement and protection. I was the type who talked to and met a lot of people in different departments, and I found these insights echoed throughout the company. Also, an important point is that the pay is not as good as it could be. You are generally payed 15% less than you should be - however you will be told that your perks make up for the lower pay...but that really is far from true if you are single with no kids...

Advice to Senior Management

HR should do a better job of making sure that managers as well as all employees meet the basic qualifications of the job. Employee moral suffers when it's obvious to everyone on staff that a manager is unqualified and just collecting a check. Better starting salaries would be nice too.

Pros

The benefits are excellent - especially the 401k match and a lot of silly perks like casino night during the day, games and contests on campus, vouchers to sports games in Atlanta and discounts on any cultural events in Atlanta.

Cons

What does it take to get promoted? They are handed out like candy to some, while others are often overlooked. It seems like if you do nothing or do your job poorly, you are better off than people who work hard and deliver consistently.

Advice to Senior Management

Man up! If employees aren't doing their jobs or are performing poorly - address it. Reward employees who do their jobs well. Make your expectations of employees clear and follow through.

Pros

Good benefits package. On the cutting edge of technology if you are in the right departments.

Cons

You really need to play the office politics game if you want to advance. The bottom line is infinitely more important to sr. management than loyalty to their employees. Work/life balance differs greatly depending upon your immediate manager. Managers are not necessarily trained how to manage and so getting a good one is spotty.

Advice to Senior Management

Show loyalty to your loyal employees and stop forcing people to leave and return in order to advance. Train your managers how to actually manage people and not just promote those who can perform their tasks well.

Pros

Great environment, excellent benefits, many creative people

Cons

Need more career growth opportunities

Advice to Senior Management

Find ways to grow employee career aspirations. Too many people languish in the middle because there is no clear career path.

Pros

Great benefits, great environment. As work continues to move back from New York City to Atlanta for financial reasons I suspect things will be even better.

Cons

Shortsighted management decisions cause key technology folks to look elsewhere. But as far as business infrastructure is concerned (HR, etc) it's a great place.

Advice to Senior Management

Middle management has taken over. Direction of what actually needs to happen should be handled by the people capable of making it happen. Folks in the middle are just sucking resources with no value add.

Pros

The environment is awesome, you are surrounded my many different talented people working on projects that are well known and recognized. Turner provided ample opportunities for career advancement, but you have to be pro-active. The campus is awesome and the culture is casual. The location is prime as well, right in midtown Atlanta. The perks are hard to beat, since they own the Hawks & Thrashers and used to own the Braves, employees are practically spoiled which is why I think maybe they don't pay as much, but the perks and benefits make up for it. There is always some kind of event or giveaway or something going on. It's great for the most part.

Cons

There are probably far too many people who need to be fired because they have gotten complacent. Turner is often too slow to get rid of problem (lazy or incompetent) employees. There are also too many managers who are too buddy-buddy with some employees which makes it difficult for other employees who just want to keep things objective and professional.

Advice to Senior Management

Be better about getting rid of poor performing employees. Don't be afraid to get rid of them.

Pros

Good place to work if you have a family. Terrific benefits and entertainment extras.

Depending on the company, its a very creative and innovative place to work. i.e. Cartoon Network good, CNN not so good.

Cons

Lack of leadership development. The company is VERY generous in offering training and classes and personal development but has no requirements or guidelines for managers so you get a wide variety in management skills across the board. Great if you have a good manager, but bad if you don't.

Advice to Senior Management

Create a baseline requirement for what constitutes good leadership and management while still allow for unique styles, etc.

Pros

Salaries is good - better enjoy it

Cons

Management is done through fear and intimidation. You are constantly reminded, "YOU WORK FOR ME" - and not part of a collaborative team. There are far too many VPs, Directors, Managers. Most hide in their offices, only emerging in crisis situations - and then look like clowns bumping into one another.

The company attempts to tout it's many benefits and perks - however, those are not doled out consistently. Training is non-existent.

People are treated as commodities. Individuals are not valued for their contribution.

Low morale is believed to be handled by handing out surveys on which no action is ever taken. There are numerous teams and committees to review the results of the surveys - and lots of powerpoint presentations summarizing the data.

Advice to Senior Management

Offer some form of professional growth. Do something besides hand out surveys and form committees to review the surveys. Understand that if you want people to contribute, you must make them feel valued - currently you treat everyone as a commodity.

Pros

It was a great place to learn about your industry. Turner encouraged professional development classes within its organization. Upper management was very accessible to support staff and those people above them. The organization also allowed moms to work from home one to two days a week. The perks that were offered were incredible.

Cons

It's quite difficult to move up because most people don't leave. Often times, you sat in a certain position longer than the industry average because turnover for the most part was low.

Advice to Senior Management

My experience at Turner was good.