Hanover Research Employee Reviews about "happy hours"

Pros

-Helpful and thorough training period -Generous and flexible PTO -Friendly and supportive atmosphere -Supportive management and team who are approachable and available -Company parties and happy hours

Cons

-Depending on the project you are working on, hours may be long and stressful, but this comes with the territory of working in research -Much faster pace than initially expected but my manager worked with me to deal with the added stress

Pros

In my time at Hanover, I've definitely learned a ton. I've developed vital professional skills that will definitely transfer to whatever role I take in the future (here or there). There's definitely a gradual learning curve, but if you are willing to work hard you will see the return (bonus and development). The Associates are great and very supportive of each others' successes.

Cons

You need to hit your numbers and that can certainly result in stressful situations that may require extra hours. (sort of a con, but might be a good thing) Everyone's sales numbers are visible, so it is very apparent if you have a bad week.

Pros

Hanover attracts incredibly intelligent staff making it a great place to develop your skill set. They also provide a lot of upward mobility for employees just starting out in account management. The company and workforce are young and there is palpable energy in the air.

Cons

Leadership of the Account Management department consistently requires long hours. Management sets high goals and does not adapt them for employee resources and capacity. Additionally, all management and non-manager levels are micro-managed to the point of updated status reports multiple time a week during campaigns and the last six weeks of the quarter. Lastly, executive management rules with an iron fist and provides little positive feedback outside of meeting revenue goals.

Pros

My peers were lovely and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them.

Cons

Research at Hanover consists of googling random key words to produce 20+ pages reports in 3 to 4 days. The expectation is that in 3-4 days you not only conduct extensive research on fairly complex topics but also that you create tables, visuals, and magic. You must work at least 10-12 hours a day with no breaks to achieve that level of perfection. You are incentivized to work long hours because project evaluations will address any insignificant mistake you make because of those tight timelines. Further, the expectation is that after 3-4 intense days of researching and heavy writing, you also find the intellectual energy in you to come up with appropriate and clever recommendations to the client when you actually have no clue what the client actually needs (you don't possess this knowledge because you rarely get to engage with clients) Mid management is unaware of what it means to actually manage people. Content Directors are either 20 something that got promoted simply because of their tenure at the company or external hires that are completely ignorant of any serious research methodology. They all excel at drafting emails where they completely change the scope of work, an art that confirms how terrible they are at providing guidance to the researchers. But it is not even the directors’ fault for being that awful because they are overworked too. While Directors get to evaluate researchers on every single project, researchers never get the chance to evaluate Directors on their work. Some Directors have no clue how to conduct research and don't realize how impossible it is to turn flawless reports in 3 days. Don’t bother complaining to HR. They are busy fixing the coffee machine. Upper management is a bunch of white frat boys that have no clue what leadership means. The CEO's not-so-secret dream is to pay researchers less to work more and more hours so that he can afford a new leather chair.

Pros

I work in the Account Management team at Hanover, and our team is collaborative, fun, and hard-working. A few specific 'pros' to highlight: 1) The account management team has a great team dynamic. That's seen through the collaborative effort to meet team revenue goals, the energy & conversation in our section of the office, and the 'open door' policy of our team management. Our department went through a recent leadership change, which has made a hugely positive impact on the team as a hole. Our team now celebrates wins together (no matter how small they might be) and has a much more positive energy. Management is now open to feedback and is more supportive of the day-to-day role of the account managers. 2) There is good potential for promotion and bonus payouts. Hanover is a company that promotes and pays employees based off of merit. Across the company as a whole, and specifically in the account management role, you will see direct correlation between success and reward. 3) It's generally a fun place to work. There are frequent incentives (baseball games, happy hours, etc.) that make working toward a revenue number feel more fun. Our team also is friends outside of the office - celebrating holidays, weekends, babies, weddings, etc as more than just coworkers.

Cons

1) Life in a cubicle can get pretty grim. That said, I know the company is investigating what employees want in an office environment in an effort to redesign the space to make it both more conducive to our jobs and more comfortable. 2) There is pressure associated with working toward a revenue-based job. Although there are incentives and payouts that make the pressure more worth it, there is no denying that this position can be stressful at times. Associated with that, there are times where a lot of the clients' decision-making is entirely out of our control, which can be frustrating. 3) Some parts of the job are mundane, administrative tasks. The majority of days involve a variety of different tasks/roles, but that is definitely not every day. Some days are spent entirely in a cubicle working at a computer. I think this will be improved by a change in environment, when these types of days can be spent in a more open environment than individually in cubicles.

Pros

Great team. Felt more like a community when in the office

Cons

Very long hours of work as an analyst. Very tight timelines.

Pros

I worked for Hanover in different roles and feel like I received insight into the various positions. This company loves to take advantage of young college graduates who are eager for a job. I hope this review is comprehensive and proves to be a cautionary tale for those who join. On the sales side, particularly in the Corporate area, Hanover pushes a competitive culture that has led to burnout, high-turnover, and a hostile work environment. If you are looking at a sales position do not be misled: you will be phone banking between 8:30-5:30 every single day. For the few sales associates that do well (and keep in mind your success is directly linked to who your managers are and what team you are placed), they are able to move up the ladder. On the research side, there are a few directors who are well-qualified and I have no idea how they ended up working at Hanover. There are some interesting projects and you will be able to learn about a diverse group of companies. In order to keep costs low, research associates are saddled with several projects at once and work long hours. Again, 90% of your experience and your ability to move through the ranks will be determined by who you work for. Due to this culture, what you end up with at Hanover is a mix at the top of well-qualified, mature professionals and younger men who progressed quickly through the ranks and as a result do not know how to manage those below them and care only about themselves. Another thing I never understood was while Hanover promotes a 'fixed-fee' model to their clients, they continue to aggressively upsell. You are so much better working at Gartner.

Cons

Culture wise: When we were back in the office, there was free food but no free chicken nuggets could compensate for the hostile culture and unorganized environment.