A case study in how not to run a company
Pros
They have snacks in the kitchen.
Cons
I'm only commenting on the time that I've been working for Maru. I worked for the company for a few years prior to the acquisition but all feedback is based on the current organisation. Cons There are quite a few things to list, so in no particular order. Leadership - I think lack of leadership is probably a better way to describe this. Since the acquisition of edr, the whole company has been flipped on its head. Every good thing that was done, was, effectively undone. Every 18 months there's a different strapline to try to get your head around. "Painting better pictures faster" was a recent one. Unfortunately, the toolkit that everyone is expected to use (including clients) is pretty much MS Paint, so don't expect any masterpieces here. The vision isn't something that I've ever had anyone in senior leadership actually describe in a way that made any sense. Which leads me to think that no-one knows or understands what the strategy is. Working environment - Where researchers go to die. The office is like a graveyard, complete with early 2000's carpet and décor. - Painfully under-staffed in key parts of the business. Knowledgeable people have left and not been replaced and programmes break down constantly (see technology point below) and nobody in the business knows how to fix problems. This is made all the worse when a client phones you and says it's been broken for weeks and nobody at Maru noticed. - HR. There's no real HR function in the UK and as a result, blanket decisions and initiatives get fed down centrally. The company introduces things in a really odd way, as if they'd just been thought of and then sent without looking at the details and the ramifications for people. For example, you can get every other Friday afternoon off, just check with your manager. That's all well and good, but what if you are part time? Or what if you don't work Fridays? On the surface, a great idea, but when you dig into it, you realise they haven't thought it through properly, so the company then spends weeks trying to bottom out something that shouldn't have been released half-baked. I really wouldn't be surprised if a magic 8 ball is responsible for some of the initiatives that get approved. There's definitely a box-ticking exercise going on when it comes to things like health and wellbeing. "Feeling stressed and overworked, then join this online seminar at 5pm PST". Sure, I can stay up until 1am, given I'm probably going to still be working at that time. -Weekly email from the CEO. This is an absolute masterclass in passive aggression. There's always an undercurrent of "Why aren't you better? Look at this person, they're better than you. Why can't you make me more money? I had the whole NY team in the office for a meeting, WHY AREN'T YOU IN YOUR OFFICE TOO?" Technology - This was a real 'ahead of the curve' organisation, had a really great reputation and clients that wanted to work with them. I've seen so many clients (and extremely high-calibre colleagues) walk out the door due to the lack of evolution in the platform and tools. I've heard countless reports of prospects being visibly shocked when parts of the system were being demonstrated during pitches. The focus shifted onto the new shiny stuff and the old was just left to deteriorate. - Not enough variety of snacks in the kitchen
