I received an offer for an IT (AI Hub) role in Lake Mary, FL. Reading the reviews on this site have me second guessing accepting the offer. Is the Lake Mary office as toxic as the other office locations seem (based on comments)?
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Depends what team you end up up. There are always going to be good managers and bad managers along with coworkers you can joke around with and those you can’t. More often in the building I see people keeping to themselves with headphones in. There are some areas with coveted working relationships. If you listen it’s a lot of people bonding in their hatred of their team/the company. Take the job, keep looking, go with your gut. At the end of the day a job’s a job and you can always quit.
Under construction for bloody ever. So much constant noise it's a wonder anyone is able to get on there. Would drive me bonkers!
@ad If they are unemployed, they should take the job AND keep looking.
Lake Mary is loaded with interns, H1Bs and new college grads from UCF. You would fit in well with the campus environment and the low-cost operating environment now being built. The culture here is very weird from the jump. Since you're likely a new college grad you don't know any differently and have no reference points for comparison. Almost everyone here is a short timer with this firm. It's only a matter of time before you're either looking for the door or will be shown the door. It's all baked into the business model.
@OP you will be landing in a toxic place overall. Lake Mary is no special to shield you from the toxicity
Lake Mary was seen as a low cost location 10 or more years ago but now that’s not really the case, meaning that it’s not really resistant to layoffs. I actually did an analysis a few years ago - what would happen if this one client’s staffing moved from NY to Florida and the impact was very minimal and I used actual averages by grade level, not HR’s generic ranges.
Furthermore, with some exceptions, the area generally isn’t great for recruiting. A lot of NYC transplants built up the area in early 2010s who knew the businesses well but it’s hard to find good talent in the area in general.
It’s not a bad environment relative to other parts of the bank but you can only be shielded from so much toxicity that cascades down from EC-1
Lake Mary is a weird weird place. Not very smart people around these parts. It’s also H1B city
OP, If you decide to take the leap, be sure to keep your wits about you. You'll soon see the truth in what most posters on this site are discussing. You may have noticed a few social media influencers from Lake Mary posting optimistic comments about site changes, building signage, ice cream, fun and games and other seemingly trivial matters to generate some positive buzz in the community. It's important to consider their motives and not be overly swayed by the noise. These social media influencers may be doing this as part of their jobs, promoting their personal and professional agendas, inflating their corporate brand images, or simply seeking LinkedIn impressions and social validation of their "mover & shaker" status. Keep everything in the right perspective as you move forward. Good luck with your decision!
OP,
With your skillsets you do not belong here. You can do better. Only come here if you are jobless and desperate. And if you do come here, keep applying to other places.
This company is mega toxic.
If you are unemployed, take it. If not, then keep looking.
Everyone is paranoid that they will be laid off. Not a way to live, in my opinion.
That location is full of people who just don’t know anything. Not much different from PA or NYC but the company as a whole is very toxic and constantly laying off good workers to keep the bad ones