Filter
Filter
"Work/life balance is very strong" (in 20 reviews)
"A non-profit driven by its mission and purpose" (in 15 reviews)
"senior management communicates primarily in weasel words" (in 10 reviews)
"The competent and professional employees are not allowed by upper management to improve the situation" (in 7 reviews)
Helpful (2)
I worked at Consumer Reports full-time (More than 3 years)
Pros
Work/life balance
Family environment
Outstanding leadership
Flexible hours
Culture
Innovative technology
Benefits
Non-profit
Cons
Smaller company leads to fewer growth opportunities in some departments
Advice to Management
Keep on being innovative! The re-branding and all of the work thus far is paying off! Continue to bring on and retain the top talent.
I have been working at Consumer Reports full-time (More than 3 years)
Pros
Sane levels of work and reasonable deadlines. Compared to the rest of the media world, CR maintains high standards for reporting, has enough people (6 million?) paying a lot for content to let the company keep investing in reporting rather than cutting back. Effective reporting and writing appreciated. No danger that CR's going away anytime soon, unlike so many other outlets. Non-profit.
Cons
Not a place for narrative writing, or investigations without a strong consumer pay-off. A kind of crazy amount of bureaucracy and second- and third-guessing compared to any other journalism environment I've ever seen. So much emphasis on revenue (affiliate partnerships, subscriptions) that it can be kind of disheartening.
Advice to Management
Push editorial decision-making down the chain. The org is now super-hierarchical (more than years ago, I'm told), without lots of freedom to experiment or even to get day-to-day things done efficiently. CR's has really smart managers, but dealing with the processes can be like wading through chest-high mud.
I have been working at Consumer Reports full-time (More than a year)
Pros
Very well balanced between work and family
Cons
No incentive for hard workers
I worked at Consumer Reports full-time (More than 3 years)
Pros
The mission and the benefits
Cons
Everything else. Really, everything else
Advice to Management
Not sure they would care for advice
Helpful (3)
I worked at Consumer Reports full-time (More than 8 years)
Pros
Chance to work for a more just and fair marketplace. High editorial standards
Cons
Insular non-profit divorced from competitive marketplace breeds siloed power struggles and opportunities for sexual misconduct.
Advice to Management
Apply same standards to other companies as you do yourselves. Break up ancient "command and obey" management style. Respect your readers and activists instead of mocking them behind their backs.
Helpful (7)
I have been working at Consumer Reports full-time
Pros
Non profit mission is nice
Cons
Complete lack of overall strategy - 20 VP/c level people and not a single one knows what their strategy is, managers who are bullies. Every new person who starts says the job is not what they thought it was going to be. Good people get pushed out / leave all the time, even newer employees (not the ones they'll claim needed to be gotten rid of)
I have been working at Consumer Reports full-time (More than 3 years)
Pros
Not too much stress, people are very friendly, decent amount of mingling events.
Cons
Not the best tech place to work at.
Helpful (1)
Pros
Benefits, compensation, visibility. Co workers seem to invest in brand and take pride in achievements. Culture improving slowly.
Cons
Sr. Management inability to effectively lead change. Silos. Disconnects in internal communications.
Advice to Management
In many marketing & social media areas this company is well behind the curve. Leadership in these areas is sow to change, and often disregards info from the front lines. Listen to the people doing the actual work about what they need and what should change. Killing a very popular brand (Consumerist) b/c you could not find a way to monetize it was a ridiculous moment of ineptitude. Even if you have long term visionary goals, do not skip making short-term logical changes that could have immediate benefit.
Helpful (1)
I worked at Consumer Reports full-time
Pros
Commute union and purchase products
Cons
No respect for the union
Helpful (12)
I worked at Consumer Reports (More than 8 years)
Pros
The mission and the dedicated staff
Cons
Upper management: unable to make decisions, lack of vision and courage, no accountability no standards for professional behavior, no compassion for staff, directionless
Advice to Management
Culture flows from top to bottom. Show staff that you are accountable and that you have the courage to "make CR great again"! CR Board of Directors - do something!
This will replace the current featured review for targeted profile. Are you sure you want to replace it?
Are you sure you want to remove this review from being featured for targeted profile?
Consumer Reports Response
seconds ago
Edit • Delete