Talented team members, too many balls in the air - Avis employé Embedded Engineer InnovaSea Systems

My team was incredibly supportive and I was given just the right mix of guidance and autonomy. I was empowered to deliver on projects in areas where I had previously lacked experience. My manager is excellent at her job AND at managing people; she seemed to always know how to get the best work out of me; she knew when I needed support, how to encourage me, and how do deliver negative feedback in a way that lifted me up rather than put me down. I went in with high expectations (the interview process itself was seamless and didn't require spec work) and those expectations were exceeded in ways I never thought possible. The people outside my team were kind and easy to work with. I only left Innovasea because I moved out of state. Another pro: sometimes our customers sent us delicious fish.

The covid policy was decent but I wasn't thrilled when return-to-office was required before everyone could get their shots.

There was flexibility with office days, free parking at Canadian office site, travel for different projects or business needs, sponsorship/tuition assistance budget for learning and development, Canadian benefits and pension are strong, Boston's social committee revived a lunch and learn program that got people together and would bring in external or in-house presentations on topics related to aquaculture

US: Poor benefits offering, no commuter pre-tax benefit/parking when the Boston office is in Fort Point, lack of trust amongst senior leaders, departments work in silos, lack of culture between offices (i.e. social event committee in Boston but not Baton Rouge or Seattle), a lot of senior leaders with different opinions/priorities and a lack of cross-functional collaboration, unwelcoming office environment (people didn't say hi/good morning, leadership/managers do not acknowledge when people with longer tenure leave (not involuntarily), no sense of comradery), lack of advancement opportunities because company is small or leadership hires externally instead of promoting, has a hard time competing in Boston markets and Baton Rouge (oil & gas compensation) CAN: clear and structural division between departments (corporate on the top floor), advertised as based in Halifax but really in Bedford (15-20 km away), insufficient staffing Overall: big inequity between offerings for employees based on country, and loves hierarchy