I worked briefly at Beelineweb, and was hired for an entry level position.

The recruitment process was initially promising. I appreciated that they took time to get to know potential employees, to make sure they are a good fit. I was extremely impressed with the office; it is absolutely stunning. I was also reasonably happy with the benefits and pay.

The first thing that put me off, was when I was told that the final stage of the interview process was to meet with a third party counsellor, who would assess me to make sure my personality would fit in with the company. I was asked about my family and personal life, as well as previous jobs and school. It seemed inappropriate to be asked about personal relationships, but I got the job and convinced myself it was not really that weird.

Soon I noticed that there was no chit-chat and voices were always kept low. This was not necessarily a bad thing, but it was different than what I was used to. I quickly learned that if any work time was spent chatting, especially at anything above a whisper, we would be scolded. The silence came from an atmosphere of fear not respect.

Lunch room conversations centered on veganism (80%), dieting (10%), and shopping (10%). Now I do enjoy shopping as much as the next girl, but I think that spending my entire lunch focused on such shallow and generally judging conversations is exhausting.

Beelineweb was the most micro-managed workplace I have ever worked. I was asked to copy someone on every email that I sent (understandable as I was still learning), and was quickly (within 30 seconds) corrected if I had made a small grammar error or not worded things the way that someone would have. It is really hard to put into words the level of micro-management (I heard a rumour that they have cameras with the ability to zoom in on anyone at any time). I personally enjoy working in an environment where I am given tasks to complete, but am able to complete them my own way so long as the end result is as desired. This was not the way at Beelineweb.

Even with all of these negatives, three weeks into the job I was keeping positive and believed that I would get used to all the quirky ways of the company. I was told on the Friday of my third week that I was doing a good job and learning quickly. Saturday morning I checked my home email and was completely taken aback to receive an email notifying me that I was being dismissed, as the job was not the “right fit for me”. No explanation beyond that. Now I have my own suspicions as to who was behind the decision and why it was made, but firing someone over email - really... Had I stolen, lied, cheated or caused any sort of damage this could have been justified, but for no reason to email someone at home on their weekend and tell them not to bother coming in to work the next week is in my opinion just plain wrong.

However, it turns out that they did me the biggest favour I could have asked for. I quickly was offered a new position with better pay and benefits, where I was free to be myself (omnivore, non-dieter, loud talker, bad cleaner, occasional spelling mistake maker and all). I believe that a workplace that allows you to feel comfortable with being who you are and make your own decisions is a workplace that fosters the best atmosphere and output. Beelineweb for me was none of those things. Thank you Beelineweb for what you did, as it taught me valuable lessons of how not to do things and who I do not want to be, as well as freed to me find the amazing job I have today.

I hope that anyone considering applying to this company can use this story to help them make the right decision. For some, Beelineweb may be the right fit, but for those who prefer autonomy, you may be better off to look elsewhere.

Publié le 26 septembre 2013 par Évaluateur #33 | Signaler comme inapproprié

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