Q&A With Synacor Employees

Keep your head down and do your work. Synacor has tried many attempts at making things "fun" but they never stick and are usually a nuisance.

Strict. The work-from-home policy is laughable. Flexibility for doctor's appointments and childcare is treated like it's a burden. You can hear everyone everywhere so there's no privacy or safe space to relax.

Don't remember.

Overly formal with an excessively long response time.

Unsure

Break down the lines of communication between lower-level employees and upper management. Compensate people fairly and be upfront with pay scales. Get timelines right so it's not all rush all the time. Institute a more open-door HR policy for reporting misogyny, harassment, racism, homophobia, and sexism. Do smaller team building activities that are actually fun, not some big fancy dress party that only the execs care about. Make it easier and more visible to transfer between departments, especially if you're having problems with your manager.

Pretty poor. You are often asked to give up nights and weekends to finish off projects that are underscoped and go past deadline because of poor management. The worst are the overnight releases and getting stuck in one room with a bunch of other people for weeks while working on a project. There's no life at work. You're just expected to churn out code.

The CEO is unreachable to the standard employee. His needs aren't the same needs as the engineers in the trenches and he doesn't understand what working at the base level is like. It's somewhat disheartening when you're being underpain and struggling to make bills while one of the top execs (not sure which one) rides in with a new luxury car every month.

Incredible collaboration

Total package is one of the best in the area