Words cannot describe the extreme degrading, stressful and toxic environment of customer support at SAP Ariba.
Team Leaders and management are incompetent, abusing anything at their disposal with specific like to torture and lie.
- It is a first company where the MBOs (results/numbers) are the only way how to evaluate people. No matter how hard you will try, you will simply not meet impossible criteria.
And when you do not meet the Criteria your manager will decide to not ask for bonuses for you because you did not meet those criteria. And of course, they will not tell you.
Zero honesty, zero communication.
- Management does not respect or encourage the work-life balance. On the contrary, they force you to work afternoon shifts (10 AM> 7 PM) because there is a higher demand when the US comes to work and hiring people in the US is too expensive. There was a system introduced where you can choose your own shifts - in theory only - you cannot really choose anything and you will end up with working late shifts and killing your personal life in the process.
- Micromanagement, supervision, following on each minute and constant persecution of employees is a standard
- Management cannot fire you because of Basic Human and Employee rights, they will just make sure that you will get the worst of the worst if you allow yourself to speak up.
Colleagues are somewhat fine (I was really trying to help people around myself) but you can see yourself how people are demotivated, down, stressed and forced to absorb enormous workload. Burnout symptoms are not just visible to me but also to other people.
- You will meet various characters and personas. Some funny, some boring, some rude but in general, people who are not in management positions are the only good things Ariba has.
- If you make friends outside of support, it will really open your eyes as to what its like to have a normal job (yeah, not talking about the support though)
- You will find out that there is enormous fluctuation - most of the people will not stay longer than two to five months.
Products are best described as something that buyers purchase and suppliers are forced to use. The frequency of failures, system downs, bugs is the highest I have ever seen in my life.
- There is a saying that every week new thing breaks. It pretty much describes the way the things are. Nearly every day either internal administration app or even our main application is down.
- Knowledge demanding products with disastrous administrative applications and ticketing system that actually makes your job even worse. Very difficult to use.
Daily work - someone mentioned that with this amount of work you are literally glued to your seat. It is true.
- If you start on the phone, prepare that you will speak about 6-8 hours every day. You will face angry customers, huge workloads and you will be in scope every minute.
- If you start in the back office, prepare that you will be forced to communicate with the number of the clients via chat at the same time. Tickets are really time consuming and bad and require daily time/queue management.
- There is a constant pressure on doing "more in less time" and even the demands are increasing (new products, new applications, new system areas etc.)
Salary - where some people say that having 30 000 Netto CZK is a good thing, I oppose. Given the current range of prices in Prague, the salary is very low. And unfortunately, there is no raise whatsoever. (unless you are promoted to a different position).
Bonuses are somewhat good. Sometimes you can have fruits on Wednesday (if you are quick enough) sometimes you can have one beer on Friday (you really have to be fast).
- Currently six days of SICK DAY (must be approved by management though)
- Very pitiful two days a month for HOME OFFICE in the BACK OFFICE positions. (even that poor two days must be approved by management)
- The Sodexo card with 1000 points a month for meal vouchers and some culture (new thing, kinda difficult to use - we had normal 90 CZK meal vouchers before).
- First two weeks of Doctor approved sickness are paid / year. (must be approved by management though)
Office and open spaces - having the open office in CALL CENTER of Customer Support is a nightmare. Prepare for constant stress, no privacy, and extreme loudness.
- There is not enough of room in the drawers and the noise is constant. People are looking at your back and your monitors most of the time.
- The office social parts, some kitchens, some play places are technically one of the best in Prague. So sad that your time to use them is limited to minutes.
