Websense Reviews

Pros

Good group of people. I don't know about senior management, but closer management seems to know what's going on. I think it really depends on the department you work in

Cons

compensation is not what it should be.

Pros

Exciting technology. Good benefits. Lots of vacation time. Fun and supportive co-workers.

Cons

Quotas very tough to obtain resulting in low overall compensation. Bulk of business faces large amount of competition that wasn't there before. Competition has caught up in a highly commoditized market. Websense still remains #1 but priced too high for core products.

Advice to Senior Management

Review quotas. Risk of high turnover is forthcoming. Would hate to see this place turn into that.

Pros

comfort work place
good place to learn tech

Cons

management is not good
too opaque to staffs

Advice to Senior Management

manager should treat the stuffs more fair

Pros

training, trips, food, work hours

Cons

promotions, recognition of the employees merits

Advice to Senior Management

they should study more

Pros

Good benefits and good technology

Cons

Management very out of touch

Pros

Great market position. Interesting technology

Cons

Politics. Lack of vision. Some executives create an unhealthy work environment

Advice to Senior Management

Focus on moving the company forward and into new markets.

Pros

Competitive salary and benefits. Interesting technology space.

Cons

Lack of vision from upper management.

Pros

Nice building, easy to get to from the freeway and is centrally located. Office space is nice, the newer areas are very nice. Free coffee and tea and bagels every Friday.

Cons

Many of the management seems incapable of making long term decisions. The lack of a concrete objectives results in sporadic direction changes. The politics, back stabbing and management by withholding information is rampant. Communication to the employees is inconsistent or non-existent. Most information has to be acquired by other resources. Promotions are few, outside hires seem to be the mantra, regardless of the talent and skills within the company. The morale of the individual contributors is so low that many do not care about job performance.

Advice to Senior Management

Treat the employees with respect. Define a long-term strategy instead of seat of the pants whims. Provide a working environment that is not filled with rants of anger and threats.

Pros

Stocks options are nice when the company is doing well. The people are nice too and fun to work with.

Cons

Too many games played by senior management. Promotions are hard to come by & if the company is doing poorly, raises will be eliminated yet management will still get their bonuses.

Advice to Senior Management

Be fair to all your employees vs. creating a circle of the "good ol boys" club.
Offer better incentives to stay.

Pros

Decent Compensation
Good Benefits (though expensive)
3 weeks vacation
1 week sick time

Cons

Unrealistic goals.

You have to play the metric game if you want to get ahead. Ever since then CRM system was implemented, the management team has been metric crazy and micromanage everything you do and then try to apply a measurement to it. The new managers that have come aboard, are so worried about the numbers, they have the subordinates do all kind of things to make meet the numbers. Sr. Managers, just sit, and do the same thing over, and over again. And of course, the Director never see's anything beyond what he wants to see and make abrupt changes.

 As for the VP, he tries to do what he can to appease the executive management team, but he's only as strong as his weakest link - the management team.

Another thing that the VP does wrong from a business perspective is that he places too much value on hiring people from the outside that have the "so called" experience that they bring while never cultivating the talent he currently has at his disposal. So many talented, hardworking people have been let go, or have been driven away by the madness that has become the day-to-day workday just because you didn't make your numbers. What a waste and shame. The worse thing about it, is that HR doesn't do anything about it, nor do they care. They just do the paperwork and see you later.....

Keep in mind that Websense doesn't offer anything new or innovative, they're like everyone else (with the exception of a few truly innovative companies) they re-package, and re-brand the same old stuff over and over again. Mind you, they do get many awards from leading magazines and independent reviewers, but so do many other companies.

As most public companies, Websense's loyalty and commitment is to the shareholder no matter what the cost. It's all about the bottom line. They don't care about a work-life-balance. What's the point of offering in-house training and workshops for personal growth if you can never attend due to your workload? What's the point of hiring so called "top talent", if a few months later they leave once they see the mess Websense is?

I leave you with this quote from Albert Enstein:

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Advice to Senior Management

- Think outside of the box
- Cultivate your current talent
- Motivate your people and stop micromanaging
- Get rid of the Managers that bring nothing to the table
- Bring back a work-life balance
- Don't kill your people with unrealistic goals
- Challenge the executive management team tactfully and help open their eyes

Customer service is very important, you must strive to offer a product that benefits (not hinders) the customer, meeting their needs and demands, while maintaining shareholder satisfaction. As a public company, you have a responsibility of setting the example and finding the right work-life balance, while simultaneously providing employee satisfactions and retention. It's not an easy task, but it's one I challenge you to strive for, because you are only as good as your last quarter.

- SecPro