Bandwidth Reviews

Pros

Work life balance Good pay for whats expected of you Nearly impossible to get fired Pace is slow Easy to fly under the radar

Cons

Half of the company is way over dramatic and are quitting because they don't like our CEO The software is old and hard to work on There are a lot of remote contractors on the teams "Agile Transformation" is making everyone confused about direction

Pros

Teammates and lower level management are fantastic. I don't think I could ask for a better group of people to have worked with and learned from. My management was very supportive of my career goals and growth while I worked here, and empowered me to continue growing and learning.

Cons

Salary and overall compensation is below current market rates by a decent margin. Benefits/insurance are only exceptional if you have a family, otherwise they're about average. Upper level management decisions and directives are often implemented with no input from the employees affected or their management in many cases. Strong emphasis on fitting every team into the same mold, with little room for self organization of teams. Little flexibility related to wfh before the pandemic, and no one could tell me what the policy on this would be as time went on. My managers were open to a mixed office/wfh schedule, but said it was ultimately not up to them. Bandwidth's covid response made me embarrassed to an employee of the company. The CEOs (conservative) personal beliefs and principals greatly influenced all company policy surrounding the pandemic and often went against or ignored CDC reccomendations. Finally, on a personal note, I found the praying at the beginning of every company-wide all-hands meetings to be very non-inclusive and often made me uncomfortable.

Pros

benefits are great, free healthcare for my entire family. Generous maternity/paternity leave. Pay is fantastic Work / life balance is great People are really nice and I have made some great friends. The scenery is quite nice, located right on campus. Company is profitable and has a bright financial future.

Cons

Work is generally boring. Old crufty applications that never go away. Company going through growing pains from startup -> Enterprise, the current Agile transformation the company is going thru is generating frustration. It is pretty culty, either you get on board with whats coming down from on top, and pretend they can do no wrong, or you can leave / never move "up".

Pros

- Most lower-level managers really care about their employees and strive to support their teams to the best of their abilities. - PTO policy was decent, and you aren't ostracized for using it - The healthcare is amazing

Cons

- Pay was well below market for lots of positions, especially development - Company was too nice at times, allowing underperforming team members to thrive, and often even promoting them - The way Bandwidth handled Covid-19 was a joke. The CEO let his personal religious and political beliefs cloud his judgement in this area. - Very inflexible work from home policy, especially in a post-covid era. - Half the company wants to be a software company, and half the company wants to be an old-school telco

Pros

Excellent benefits- 100% healthcare coverage (that kick in 30 days after employment), 1.5 lunch break to workout, pre-covid - free shuttle to the NC State gym during lunch hours, ability to earn PTO days through company challenges and volunteer work, new Go-Do Day - a free PTO day to be an activist in whatever you believe in, amazing coworkers and teams that care about your personal life if you express issues. Despite current negative reviews claiming that Bandwidth is an all white, Christian only, anti mask, anti covid workplace- this could not be further from the truth. Bandwidth has absolutely complied with CDC regulations and enforced a safe work environment. The CEO does not in any way push his religious beliefs on others, he simply practices is RIGHT OF FREE SPEECH to pray before company meetings, which he's done since 1999, with warning that he is about to do so, and encourages anyone who does not want to hear it to mute him, walk away, whatever they want to do. The CEO does not in any way encourage people to not wear masks or not socially distance. He has voiced since day one of the pandemic that we'd return to the office eventually. He has communicated openly and honestly every step of the way during the entire pandemic. During BLM he chose for Bandwidth, the COMPANY to not have a political stance, instead encouraged Bandwidth PEOPLE to voice their stance with an annual free PTO day "Go-Do Day". He provided free lunches EVERY DAY since wfh started to those in the office, as a kind gesture to continue to have lunch options available (Bandwidth pre-covid had daily lunch vendors that you'd choose your lunch and pay for, which couldn't be done with covid standards). Lastly, Bandwidth has never had a hybrid in person/wfh option (unless negotiated upon at time of employment). Just because WFH is the new trend does not mean all businesses will hop on the train, and they are not obligated to do so. Pre covid, if you needed to WFH once in a while, you could do so. I imagine that will continue.

Cons

Bandwidth could do better with competitive salaries and promoting from within. However given the current state of the workforce wanting to work from home, if you are willing to work in person your salary will probably become much more competitive in time. Not to mention Google and Apple coming to the RTP area- they will need to ensure they are staying competitive.

Pros

-The overall direction of Bandwidth's developments, as well as resources seem to be allocated appropriately. -Company (in-office) culture is fantastic. -Plans for HQ to NOT be in RTP is refreshing. -Individuals coming out of college can benefit for opportunities of growth.

Cons

-Bandwidth is behind in being able to compete with other companies in the tech industry when it comes down to compensation for established employees. -Raises are stagnant and difficult to obtain (even if management agrees they are deserved), with "timing" being more important. -Diversity in leadership is extremely, extremely, lacking.

Pros

Solid lunch break, free healthcare, lots of fun if you’re in the right role

Cons

Mostly everything else ha ha

Pros

- Bandwidth is very health focused and offers fantastic health care benefits including extra vacation days and longer lunches for working out - Work life balance has generally been better at Bandwidth than some of my previous employers - Very family focused - Bandwidth hires amazing people who I count as life long friends - Bandwidth is a fantastic launch platform for anyone who's recently graduated and looking to get that first job under their belt while seeking a better opportunity/compensation

Cons

- Amazing people does not imply talented or competent people - Inexperienced architects and software managers have led to years of tech debt accumulation that negatively impacts customer experience and there is currently no leadership at the company capable of undoing the damage - Senior Leaders are extremely product focused. Products are frequently marked as "done" before the development teams have even tested the new products in order to focus on the next niche product that has been contracted without any capacity planning - Expect frequent priority shifts that will result in your current priority getting canceled near the time of delivery - Company benefits are "family focused". If you are single, LGBTQIA, or if your family is already established; you will want to focus on salary as the vast majority of the benefits will not apply to your situation and feedback to the contrary is ignored - Technical salaries at Bandwidth are not competitive. Several Bandwidth friends have left the company for other companies within miles of Bandwidth for $20-30k more per year with equivalent or greater benefits - 70% of yearly compensation adjustments within the company will be at or below inflation. To be in the top 30% you will need to ensure you befriend a VP/Director who can assign you to a high profile project which has a chance at being "Core Plus" or "Transformative" to obtain greater than inflationary compensation adjustments. - Bandwidth's leadership decisions are primarily driven by "gut feelings" and "emotions" rather than data. While this strategy worked before Bandwidth went public it does not seem to be scaling with the company's expected growth after going public - Covid-19 had a massive impact to the world economy. Rather than focus on how Bandwidth could leverage its own products to benefit its customers to work better remotely, the CEO spent the entire year focusing on getting his employees back in the office. During a global pandemic. With zero masking or vaccine requirements. The Bandwidth CEO recently doubled down on this assertion by stating in a company meeting that anyone with a dissenting safety "opinion" about returning to the office with no mask or vaccine requirements should seek employment at other companies. I presume most people would find this to be a con. If you view individual freedom as a company benefit, I guess this could be a benefit to you. I would recommend that you keep in mind that your freedom is still subject to CEO approval and your employment is subject to termination at any point for any reason without regard to your service time or history with the company - I encourage any current or future employee to measure Bandwidth's "values" against its actions as they frequently do not align.