WillowTree Reviews

Pros

Close your eyes and picture the coolest and most enjoyable place to work...this place is better. Here's why:

• The People: Working here initially can be intimidating because you are surrounded by such intelligent hard-working people. This makes for an unprecedented work environment that is challenging, stimulating, and rewarding all at the same time. Everyone is constantly pushing each other to become better. This is partly facilitated by the fact that everyone here is incredibly cool to be around. In an office full of people, I can't name one I dislike. I truly enjoy and care about the people I work with and for, and I believe that this is a shared sentiment throughout the office.

• The Opportunities: From a design perspective, working for a mid-sized company or with larger clients can mean getting shoved in a corner somewhere on a design team of god knows how many people where the work is so divided that you barely play a part in it. And the small sliver of work you do contribute may or may not even see the light of day (or screen). That is not the case here. You have an unparalleled opportunity to make an impact through design. Not only do you get to work with huge and exciting clients, but the teams are usually pretty small and agile. There is no excess of designers on one project, which means you have a sizable impact on the design direction for huge apps and websites—products that will be seen and used by thousands and potentially millions of people. In addition, the design team is relatively large and growing, so although you have a lot of autonomy on the project you're assigned to, you still have a team of awesome people to bounce ideas off of and get feedback from, which you’ll need because you may be asked to travel at some point to present your work to execs at a major, super cool client company. Literally the most ideal situation. How could you want more?

• Personal Growth: There is a mentoring program geared towards helping you grow in your role at the company. Your boss meets with you on a weekly basis to make sure everything is going well with you. They also dedicate 2 hours of work time a week to learning new things. They’re not afraid to invest in the betterment of their employees. Oh, and also, you get to choose a conference to attend once a year. And they pay for it. Ha, just wait. There’s more…

• They Actually Care: I have never met so many high-level people who truly care about the employees of the company, including the CEO himself. Company-wide meetings are held every other week to discuss the state of the company, recent wins for the company, welcome new employees, and openly answer questions or concerns. Recently, a huge company-wide survey/study was conducted to ensure that everyone was feeling included and good about working there. Like really? Is this a Disney movie? I could act surprised, but I’m not. Because this company is all about the surveys. Surveys about potential growth. Surveys about how you think the company should donate money. Surveys about how happy you are with the snacks they have in the office and what snacks you might like to see in the future. Surveys about what time works best for you for the company to rent a movie theater for the entire office to go see The Last Jedi. Like what? These are all real surveys, I’m not joking. That’s the level of caring that goes on here. And the CEO is constantly seeking feedback and input from all employees, and then (and here’s the kicker), he acts on it. I’ve witnessed multiple people (from many levels and departments) raise valid points and he then makes changes in response to it. And I don’t mean in like months…I mean days. Or even hours. Like really? Really?? Where else does this actually happen?

• Lavish Extras: Two paid lunches a week. State-of-the-art equipment and tools at your disposal. Snacks on snacks on snacks. You could probably survive off of all the snacks they have in the office. I haven’t tried it yet, but I bet you could. Bagels every Monday morning. Nitro brew on tap. Flexible hours: project teams set the core hours they will be in the office. Paid downtown parking. Fun company events. Happy hours every Friday complete with free alcohol and other beverages.

Advice to Management

Keep doing what you're doing...this is awesome!

Pros

- transparent and experienced leadership
- teams of highly-engaged, talented individuals who care about their craft
- a growing portfolio of big clients who trust us to do innovative things
- significant year-over-year growth that brings big new opportunities for everyone

Pros

- Free breakfast once/wk
- Free lunch twice/wk
- Lunch once/wk is supplemented with a presentation "lunch and learn"
- The other lunch is at a restaurant of your choice with your team
- Board game club (with dinner included for free)
- T-shirts, t-shirts, t-shirts (swag in general)
- Relaxed company attire and culture
- Project based teams
- Located in Charlottesville, VA (not a city)
- As many peer/supervisor one-on-ones as you want
- Monthly education budget
- Library of really good books
- 401K/HSA + 50% company match
- Stock options
- Standing/sitting desks + monitors + macbooks
- Work when you want, where you want, as long as its conducive to your team
- We hate "meetings"
- We are brain surgeons, not doctors, not waiters
- I'm constantly learning
- Company happy hours every Friday (yes, free alcohol)
- We have beer on tap, wine and sometimes hard liquor
- ERGs
- Recruiting rocks
- Company all hands biweekly
- Referral bonuses
- Transparent about pretty much everything

Advice to Management

- Keep doing what you're doing!

Pros

-Transparency from the exec team
-Extremely collaborative environment
-Plethora of knowledge that everyone is willing to share
-Celebrations of the positives, all the time
-Constant encouragement to try new things
-Core Values are not just something that were written and posted on the company's page. This is engrained in everyone's day-to-day activities

Advice to Management

Keep being real with everyone. It makes us want to stay.

Pros

WillowTree is experiencing exciting growth, which creates a lot of opportunity for everyone. Management operates in a very honest and transparent fashion, which is a breath of fresh air from prior jobs. Colleagues are thoughtful, curious, passionate, and committed to their respective craft. The business has embraced a set of Core Values (each of which resonate with me) that really shape the overall culture.

Pros

1. Work/life balance
2. collaborative people around you
3. Follows new technology standards

Pros

Executive team is authentic and sincere- they want to do right by their people and truly value input and feedback from all team members.

WillowTree honestly stands by the Core Values we (all employees, not just management) developed and agreed on and works these core values in to everything we do. It's not just some corporate initiative or a list of aspirational goals; WillowTree takes the time to invest in their team members and help them uphold our core values.

We openly talk about challenges we are facing within projects or teams, and then work together for solutions. You don't just have to "suck it up" if something's not working. People are open to new ideas.

Advice to Management

Keep it up, remember to stay authentic- it's noticeable and appreciated.

Pros

- Great Location (downtown mall in Charlottesville).
- Pizza every Wednesday.
- There actually are some smart people who work there in development.
- Pay is average for the area and the size of the company.

Advice to Management

Fix the promotion process and stop overcorrecting for decisions made in the past. Treat every employee with respect and promote people based on skill as opposed to who the principles think are "cool".

Pros

1. Everyone who works here is awesome to be around. I spend 8 hours with them and then go hang out with them more after work because they're so awesome. Not only are they awesome but they also care a lot about their craft and take pride in what they work on.
2. You will learn a ton working here. Everyone is constantly trying to stay on top of new technology, discuss best practices, etc. People are very generous with their knowledge. There is also a big focus on mentorship to spread knowledge around.
3. Flexible hours, flat hierarchy, no micromanaging. Lots of trust and freedom are given which produces great results.
4. Lots of variety in terms of projects. Also, very big name clients which is cool.
5. Charlottesville and Durham are great cities.
6. Management is very approachable and tries very hard (successfully) to make it a fun and fulfilling place to work.

I could keep going

Pros

Amazing work culture with a strong focus on professional development. Flexible work hours and a lots of learning opportunities like Lunch and Learn, Innovation Time, and a paid conference once a year. Team lunch, Game Night, and Happy Hour every week are great opportunities to socialize and connect with coworkers. Good benefits and plenty of PTO. Great management and mentorship programs as well. All around a really great place to work!