A great company for a hard-to-please employee!
Pros
First, some background: I started and ran a successful software services business for over 5 years having previously worked for a large software company and a higher-education institution. Having spent those 5 years working from home (or wherever I wanted to work from) and making as much money as I cared to put the time in to make, I knew I would have unreasonable preferences when it comes to a workplace. Having made the decision to move into a different level of work, PointSource was a compelling option. Personal connections aside, coming in I knew the type and scope of work that PointSource provided for their customers and had a good sense of the culture and compensation. With all of that being said, the pros: • For me, the career opportunities are fantastic. I don't feel bounded by the company or processes in terms of advancement or future opportunities. • Monetary compensation is as should be expected. Vacation and other related time-off benefits are as- or better-than-expected. New policies like extra holiday time off and rewards for mindfully taking vacation in such a way that's most helpful for employees and the business are really appreciated. • Somewhere between benefits and work/life balance is the topic of working from home. While one is encouraged to work out of the office whenever and however frequently it's needed, my perception is that arbitrarily working from home is frowned upon. I can understand this, especially when trying to foster a collaborative environment, so this is worth mentioning as both a pro and a con (though, in my experience, definitely more of a pro than the vast majority of work environments). • Work/life balance is fantastic. There are mandatory working hours (9-4, which is a reasonable request to encourage collaborative effort) and one is expected to get their work done, but there is no expectation or feeling that one should be working late or the like. Individuals who come from those kinds of environments (e.g. ex-IBMers) definitely seem to require an acclimation period. • I've personally been impressed by the senior management. From personal experience, it's hard forming and running a company, especially one with the goals and level of business intended by this management team. • The culture is fantastic. I'm a prototypical introvert and was initially overwhelmed and skeptical of the efforts made to deliberately establish a culture at PointSource. Having been here just at a year, I can now say I've discarded that skepticism and thoroughly enjoy the environment. Social events, fun diversions, regular food truck visits, etc. all really make workdays more enjoyable
Cons
• Benefits (like healthcare) leave a little bit to be desired, but are what should probably be expected for a company of this size. I came from a place of making those decisions for myself from any available options, so I know that making these decisions are hard and what’s possible is rather constricted, so what’s available really isn’t unreasonable. • Because of the difference in physical location between the Raleigh office and some of the senior leadership (some members are in Florida), it sometimes (often?) feels like the senior leadership is hard to connect with. This can make it a little difficult to feel like a "part" of the business.
