The Zappos Family Reviews

Pros

Medical benefits 401k match Employee discount Occasional fun events & parties

Cons

Favoritism Untrained managers Constant change in company direction Constant change in roles & responsibilities Terrible work life balance Unmanageable workload Unrealistic goals No proper training program Micro managing

Pros

Free insurance, 401k match, free vending, occasional catered meals/treats, good culture, quirky company with solid core values. Overtime is almost always optional. Most shifts are comprised of 4 10-hour days, with 3 days off. Optional quarterly unpaid personal days are offered on top of accrued vacation/sick time. Clean, organized, and fun, as far as warehouses go.

Cons

The only real con is that, because Amazon owns Zappos, culture and a 'fun environment' suffers somewhat compared to when Zappos was a standalone company (10+ years ago,) with productivity being the main focus and new goals being pushed every so often. This is a silly gripe and not one that someone without knowledge of the corporate contrast would have, however the culture contrast between Vegas and Louisville is also evident. Pay could be more competitive, but keep the free insurance and snacks in mind. Management is hit-or-miss as far as commitment to culture goes; some are more 'Amazon-minded' than others.

Pros

- Great Benefits - Remote - Employee discount is generous - Fun projects

Cons

Trust me you're gonna want to expand this review and read all this; - Rampant dysfunction - Ineffective HR department - Poor leadership - Lack of goals and direction - Poor work/life balance - Lots of bullying and misogyny that goes unchecked Zappos suffers from systemic foundational issues that are frankly insurmountable. No one on the “leadership” team there has the knowledge, inclination, motivation, or support to fix it. It was a really fun experiment that is long past its expiration date. Your career growth at this company is completely dependent on the expertise that your manager came into the company with from previous work experiences because Zappos offers little in the way of manager training, support, goal setting, tracking, etc. It lacks rigor in every aspect of human resources except for its overly enthusiastic and rigorous onboarding process, which is frankly a huge waste of time and resources. Your ability to learn on the job is also completely dependent on your manager’s pre-Zappos experience. Many people in the org have been there since they graduated college or for over a decade without a lot of previous work experience so the only way they know how to do things is the broken, misguided way Zappos taught them. Zappos’ “culture” is wildly unprofessional, its hiring practices also lack rigor, and much like every other company in the entire world it is a playground for mediocre white men to high-five each other’s “accomplishments,” much to the dismay of everyone with a modicum of intelligence. But it’s a “family,” right? And much like a family, there are people who pull most of the weight, those who phone it in, and those who are hoping no one notices they snuck into mom’s wallet to get money for a six-pack this weekend. Scott the newly minted CEO is a glorified lever puller who uses words like “fornicate” in large group meetings. When Amazon announced that they would not be looking for a replacement for the former (also terrible) CEO I took it as a vote of no confidence and exited. The only feather in Zappos’ cap is the stellar customer service team which is honestly keeping this ship afloat by virtue of its amazingness. Zappos will continue to limp along making money for Amazon, carrying a gang of mediocre employees on its back, and dragging down the talented ones. That is until the day the money dries up and it finally gasps its last feeble breath, expiring to collect dust with the memories of all the other Silicon Valley startups of yore.

Pros

Stable job Medical benefits are solid

Cons

Rampant favortism Exhausting Work calls back to back to back Angry customers constantly, angry because Zappos is half the company it was during its glory days