WebMD Health Reviews

Pros

Work with great people who are borderline genius. The work we do is very important and impacts people's lives in a positive way.

Cons

Unfortunately the company is stuck in the early 2000's when it comes to technology and processes. The New York and (now) Portland, OR offices have been (and are being) remodeled to maximize space. Unfortunately that means people are now forced to work in tiny cubicles. The noise is unbearable in spite of the noise generators installed.

Pay is mediocre and benefits are nothing special.

Advice to Senior Management

Increase workspace. Allow for people to work from home more often (right now it's treated as forbidden fruit). Don't just do salary surveys in the hopes you don't have to increase people's pay. There is a real need to increase compensation. People are leaving by the week for better opportunities and higher pay. Benefits are another area that need some attention.

Pros

For the most part, depending on who you work with, you work with great people which is really important. Work and life balance are very good. Overall, this can be a great career.

Cons

There are some communication gaps from the top down and limited career growth as of now. This may depend on what part of the company you work in. Change can be very slow and difficult as with most big companies. Salaries are competitive but you need to start high because pay increases and bonuses are very limited unless you are promoted. If you are a manager the person that reports to you can make more than you.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep pushing for fair compensation and good people who create a positive environment.

Pros

Great peer group of highly talented information workers. Good camaraderie to help others get through the challenging pace of execution. CEO understands the market incredibly well and drives the organization to respond to the constant changes and demands.

Cons

Too many political suits in the executive suite. Senior staff under the CEO focuses more on internal CYA than trying to move the business forward. New senior hires not equipped for the challenges ahead.

Advice to Senior Management

Look beyond the four walls of your building.....the future of the company lies outside.

Pros

Good company to put on a resume, co-workers are very friendly and make it difficult to leave. Flexibility in time-off.

Cons

Cronyism. Too much middle management in the Atlanta office and most of the members of senior management are not qualified to hold their positions. You can be denied the opportunity to advance simply because you are not liked regardless of your job skills, tenure or performance. Members of management will sometimes degrade you or your team, use profanity and say other derogatory or use not-so-politically correct terms and they are able to keep their jobs (and advance), yet an employee who offers an alternative technical solution or other view points against the "popular" opinion, will be labeled as "uncooperative" and will never advance. Come here for a paycheck, but not for a career.

Advice to Senior Management

Don't just passively listen to employees, act on their complaints and suggestions. Remove the cancers that wreak havoc on this company so that the "healthy" tissues can grow and multiply. Foster an environment that nurtures diversity even if it means upper management will need to step back and let others take the stage for a moment. Give credit where its deserved, not just to the people who do something well; once.

Pros

Good place to learn and work
Flexible hours
Many new technologies to play with
Depending on the team, but in general very well versed peers
Stock options, benefits, work from home
Competitive salary

Cons

Stocks dropped from 60 - 30 because sharks above cashed in.. - this hurts everyone else in the company as you get stock options

Pros

Line managers are flexible when it comes to work schedule. Departments have become less isolated in recent years allowing for better working relationships across departments. The people you get to work with are some of the brightest and friendliest around. The people are what make the work not seem like a job.

Cons

Little chance to get significant increases in compensation without leaving the company. The business and sales side of the organization continue to desire more output than can be accomplished with current resources and don't want to be concerned with how it is done, just that it is done.

Advice to Senior Management

Communicate with the ranks more often and follow through on commitments made. The slow decline in individual compensation relative to other positions in the area is disheartening and it would be great if a manager could correct that before it becomes an issue for an employee.

Pros

Good pay, benefits; co-workers were friendly; opportunities to fit niche needs if you're fast enough on the ball; flexible with scheduling.

Cons

Boring, tedious days; only a step up from telemarketing because the product has already been sold and now you're just responsible for getting participants on board; QA was ridiculously subjective; quotas made working with clients feel impersonal and rushed (had to talk to X number of people per shift and not supposed to talk with anybody for longer than about 10 minutes at the most); overtime MANDATORY (generally not less than an additional 5 hours/week) for the majority of the 15 months I worked there due to not having enough coaching staff to cover the growth of the company (turnover rate is phenomenally high, with an average of half of every new hire cohort - about 20-30 people - gone by the 6-month mark); extremely limited opportunity for advancement; many people who advanced to specialty positions weren't qualified for their new jobs, but were advanced because they were "interested"; rapidly changing demands on coaches (workload, QA); most definitely a poor fit for anyone with a public health background, as the knowledge I used was basic nutrition/weight management/exercise/stress management type information rather than program planning/implementation, and therefore did nothing to build my skills or advance my career.

Advice to Senior Management

Advance people based on qualifications rather than their wishes and interests; provide more opportunities to reward hard-working coaches and recognize them for the vital work they do for the company - especially the ones who only score average QA ratings, as they're the ones who need the encouragement and incentive not to flee the company.

Pros

Smart people sprinkled throughout the organization, pockets of dedication, strong brand, interesting projects and generally good communication between peer groups.

Cons

Constant change of direction makes focus difficult, limited career path, success largely depends on which group you end up in.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen and trust the people who are directly involved with the clients and apply that feedback into the long range plan.

Pros

Great company to put on your resume
Employees are nice

Cons

No opportunity for advancement unless you're friends with someone at a high level

Advice to Senior Management

Employees should be recognized for WHAT they know and not WHO they know

Pros

Many excellent managers who are interested in two things I wholeheartedly agree on, driving the technology to the next level & leaving work on time!!!
Relaxed and generally very friendly environment

Cons

The graphics department lacks leadership. The person who currently manages the group has let go of any designers that were any threat in replacing him which means all you have left are a bunch of low skilled jokers with neanderthal social skills that are pretty much his 'buds'. Thankfully my interaction with them in minimal

Advice to Senior Management

Cut the fat, managers that 'stay under the radar' and don't care to bring anything interesting to the table should be let go