I have worked at Ocean Island in marketing and design for several years. Keep in mind while reading my comments that this is an office position. I do not claim any experience working in the lounge area, front desk, maintenance or housekeeping, though I have been (and am) friends with many who have worked in these positions.

Ocean Island is a smaller, locally owned business and has many of the pros and surprisingly few of the cons that come with this.

Pros: The work environment tends to be busy, but the workplace stress tends also to be quite low. Work hours are flexible and the owners and managers pay close attention to family/life balance. Employee input on everything from the corporate branding to the food served in the lounge is welcomed and valued. The employees themselves get along quite well for the most part and it's pretty clear when you walk in the door that the employees care about one another and the travelers who are staying at the inn. The owners and management are extremely accessible and address the issues and needs of the employees very quickly. Ocean Island does provide health insurance to its employees (both full and part time). The lounge provides ridiculously cheap (and tasty) dinners for all employees and it's fairly common for employees to spend some time in the lounge after work socializing with each other and guests. In short, the work environment is hard to beat.

Cons: Keep in mind that this is a smaller business, so career advancement options are potentially limited in comparison with larger businesses. Also, the business structures (organization, the responsibilities of some positions, etc.) are relatively new and hence, some of the kinks are still being worked out. Both the kitchen and office are small, so personal space is minimal.

The turnover rates for the various positions are about average: managerial and upper level positions show less turnover than lounge and front desk positions. Most employees are younger travelers and Ocean Island is an ideal employer for someone in that position or for students.

Posted on 18 January 2010 by Rater #7 | Flag as inappropriate

Was this review helpful? 1 0