Pros
Arrow knows it needs to transform and add additional value in the market. Arrow’s pay is good when compared to all industries. Arrow has decent benefits and a liberal vacation policy (unlimited for management). The people I worked with were top rate, and were all committed to delivering excellence. There is genuine care for the customer/partner community. Arrow also has great name recognition in the distribution space and attracts customers due to name alone. Finally. There is a commitment to creating a digital experience.
Cons
Pay is poor when compared to other technology companies. Arrow does not value employees and treats every employee like a number. Arrow thinks it’s 2009 still and doesn’t understand that the market is in favor of the employees. As such, they cannot attract nor retain top talent. There is no training to speak of, and the tools utilized are out of date. Despite a strong economy Arrow did not give merit raises for two years, and combined that with rampant layoffs. The remaining workforce was drowned with work. HR is not there for the employee, but rather the employer. HR is wildly incompetent and leads the charge in RIFs, using metrics that only they know to decode the fate of the fallen. Arrow did not invest in a CRM, and did not invest in developing scalable/repeatable processes. The result was a workforce with skills specific to the job at hand…leaving an extremely specialized workforce that knew what to do by experience. In 2021, Arrow decided to eliminate their entire Sales Operations team (with few exceptions) and move it to India. HR decided who got laid off and who stayed, with very little consulting with people that knew the business. Decades upon decades of experience was thrown out to save a buck. The result was a disaster. Now no one knows what to do, there is no sense of urgency, and the remaining North American workforce is completely disengaged. Arrow is now hemorrhaging people, and India can’t keep up. The years of disrespect and crapping all over the rank and file is coming home to roost as no one wants to work for Arrow now. They cannot recruit outside of fresh graduates/interns and are losing business as customers are not getting the value they once did. Mike Long is out of touch and only concerned for himself. He’s the Vladimir Putin of the technology world and keeps his employees like Putin keeps the Russian people: in the dark, cowered, and subjugated. So, in summary, don’t waste your time here. You will regret it and feel like you are one level above pond scum.
