Pros
The sales teams and support staff: The sales managers, sellers, and many colleagues across the organization are genuinely delightful to work with. They are adaptable to change, curious, wanting to do a great job, and always willing to help. There are also a few department leaders that are approachable and are a pleasure to work with,
Cons
Unfortunately, the pros I mentioned earlier are about all I can say that's positive about PartsBase. The CEO sets a tone of micromanagement and distrust. Robert is impulsive and reactive, with little focus on strategic, long-term changes. He wants immediate results from his latest idea, leading to reactive projects. Everything is due "yesterday." He has little faith in his employees, often dismissing their expertise and openly berating them. There have been many instances where Robert has caused a scene over a slight inconvenience. Even if you're producing and exceeding expectations, you're never sure if you'll have a job the next day. His favorite phrase is "What is my ROI with you?" While ROI is important, there are better ways to track it without constantly pressuring employees to the point of burnout. The COO enables this behavior and often gaslights employees into believing that issues stem from their shortcomings rather than systemic problems. This creates a toxic work environment. All keystrokes and mouse clicks are tracked via their employee monitoring system called Teramind. This level of surveillance is highly unusual in the remote work industry and fosters a culture of mistrust. This mistrust sets a culture of daily "wheels up" meetings that must be recorded and shared with the CEO. There are weekly Monday morning sales leadership meetings where sales managers are blatantly threatened with the loss of their jobs every week. A great tone to set at the start of the week. There was a sales enablement team (in fact, there have been a few iterations of sales enablement teams) that had a positive impact on the culture. However, they have either been laid off, quit, or the department no longer exists. Just a few coaches trying to keep their jobs the best they can. There is high turnover within PartsBase. The organization struggles with retaining employees, resulting in outdated org charts, misplaced job titles (mine included), and disorganized teams. The IT team is disorganized, often failing to address critical issues promptly or correctly. The HR team is overworked and has not kept up with modern company practices. Those joining PartsBase should expect to receive infrequent paystubs mailed to them, clock in and out on QuickBooks Time even as a salaried employee, and review their PTO balances from a spreadsheet that is shared company-wide so everyone will know your PTO balance. This could be resolved with a good ERP system like Oracle or ADP, but PartsBase is just not there yet. The benefits package is very poor. Medical insurance plans are incredibly expensive, and you should expect to end up paying the same amount that you could also pay on Healthcare.gov. I could explain more, but I believe I and many other Glassdoor reviews have made my point. The fundamental issue at PartsBase stems from its leadership. Morale, turnover, and strategic missteps all point to a need for change at the executive level. Unfortunately, it is unlikely for this to change as the executive team is the owner and his children. Perhaps, if the company were to be managed by a private equity firm where CEO accountability could be considered or if PartsBase undergoes a cultural overhaul, it might unlock its potential and provide a better environment for employees. To anyone considering a role at PartsBase, I recommend doing thorough research and weighing the pros and cons carefully. The employees are incredible and talented, but they are significantly undervalued. The culture and leadership present significant challenges, and I feel for any employee still there and undergoing the unnecessary pressure stemming from Robert Hammond's distrust in his employees. Best wishes to the remaining team and anyone navigating these difficulties.
