software engineer

technical support engineer

technologist

service à la clientèle

linux engineer

SKYTRAC Systems

I have the opportunity to work at Skytrac Systems Ltd., and I feel it's important to share my experiences for the benefit of potential employees. 1. Very Low Pay and Minimal Increases: Compensation at Skytrac Systems Ltd. was exceptionally low, and annual increases were either minimal or nonexistent. This, combined with an autocratically run system, contributed to a stressful environment and a very high burnout rate among employees. The constant pressure to meet unrealistic expectations led to exhaustion and affected overall well-being. 2. Inept Management and High Turnover: The management lacked the necessary skillset to lead effectively, which, along with the autocratic approach, resulted in a high turnover rate. Constant changes in top management positions every 1/2 year added to the instability, creating an environment of uncertainty. 3. Toxic Work Culture and Unethical Behavior: The work culture was toxic, marked by unethical behavior from management. This not only eroded trust but also created a hostile atmosphere where employees felt undervalued and unsupported. 4. Unreasonable Deadlines: Project deadlines were consistently unrealistic, adding to the pressure and contributing significantly to the burnout rate. The unrelenting demands impacted the quality of work and personal-life balance. 5. Lack of Mobility and Growth Opportunities: There were limited or no options for career mobility within the company, and the autocratic management style hindered professional development. Opportunities for growth were scarce, leading to stagnation and dissatisfaction among employees. 6. Poor Project Management and Lack of Supportive Tools: Project management was subpar, leading to confusion and inefficiency in tasks. Additionally, there was a lack of essential tools and infrastructure, hindering productivity and the ability to deliver quality work. 7. Constant Layoffs: The company experienced frequent layoffs, causing a constant atmosphere of job insecurity. This instability added to the already stressful work environment, leading to a sense of fear among employees. Conclusion: My time at Skytrac Systems Ltd was marked by numerous challenges, including low pay, inept management, a toxic work culture, an autocratically run system, unreasonably high burnout rates, high turnover, unreasonable deadlines, limited growth opportunities, poor project management, constant layoffs, and a lack of essential tools and infrastructure. Given the significant challenges faced, I hope this feedback provides valuable insights into the company's internal dynamics.

SKYTRAC is a technically strong company operating in a complex and demanding aviation environment. The products solve real operational problems for customers, and the work is meaningful, especially for those interested in aviation, satellite communications, and safety-critical systems. There are many smart, committed people across engineering, customer-facing teams, and operations who genuinely care about doing things right and supporting customers.

The company offers strong exposure to real-world aviation challenges and opportunities to take on responsibility quickly. For people who are proactive, adaptable, and comfortable with ambiguity, there is significant room to grow skills and influence outcomes. Leadership is generally accessible, and there is an increasing push toward accountability, structure, and execution as the company matures.

That said, the pace can be demanding, and organizational structure has historically lagged growth. Processes, ownership boundaries, and resourcing have at times been unclear, which can lead to burnout or frustration for high performers carrying more than their share. Some teams have experienced shifting priorities and inconsistent follow-through, particularly where roles and accountability were not clearly defined.

In recent years, there has been visible effort to address these gaps through better leadership alignment, clearer operational ownership, and improved customer focus. Continued success will depend on sustaining this momentum, investing in people development, and balancing rapid growth with disciplined execution.

Overall, SKYTRAC is a solid place to build meaningful experience in aviation technology. It rewards people who take ownership and push for improvement, but it is not a passive or low-pressure environment. Those who thrive here tend to be resilient, direct, and motivated by impact rather than comfort.

Using the net promoter score (a widely used market research metric that is based on a single survey question asking respondents to rate the likelihood that they would recommend a company, product, or a service to a friend or colleague), I would firmly say, absolutely, positively "No, I would not recommend this company"

There is so much unhealthy behavior at this company.  I personally witnessed promised pay raises being withheld, promised promotions not given, and managers with very controlling behaviors.  Team infighting is encouraged and almost even rewarded.  The team I was on had to fight for prioritization on a weekly basis; the weekly prioritization meetings were a true demonstration of unhealthy departmental politics.  

Open communication is not allowed or permitted.

Just recently, someone wrote a negative review of the company online.  This offended leadership at the company and emails were immediately distributed to all of the various teams.  This started a company wide witch hunt which ultimately resulted in the removal of an entire development team

Employee turnover and burnout is incredibly high. In the last 18 months almost the entire middle management has left or been forced out.   Two entire software teams have left with a third one being pushed out the door. 

Very outdated technology with no desire to invest in technology from the company.  Several of the key systems are built upon technology that is no longer supported and, in fact, some of the technology is so old you can no longer publicly download installers

If you're ok with technology stagnation and the ramifications of such choices, this, in and of itself, would not be too bad. The problem is the company wants it both ways. They demand aggressive schedules, with functionality that simply cannot be delivered on an ancient stack. When there is pushback, management simply doesn’t acknowledge the problem or the concern.  In fact, in my experience, our schedule never changed, scope was continuously modified/added and any conversation surrounding the topic was not tolerated

I have had a chance to enhance my career over the years working at many companies. Molding my mind and settling into a space where I feel I'm finally given the opportunity to relax, get my job done and go home.

There are many at this company that are amazing people. Some don't mesh with the others and that's okay, as long as I can confidently go home at the end of my day in one piece and remain confident that I can survive another day without incident.

There faces a few individuals that can't and won't admit they don't know everything and that is a persons downfall in any company. My time here has been instrumental in not only my career development but, my personal development as well. I have learned to carry myself at a specific level, be confident in what I do and again, be given the tools that allows me to be minimally supervised which again, leaves me happy to go-to work the following day.

Im able to manage an information gateway, to be shared with the entire company, if I was ever to move on and feel good about that being my accomplishment thus far, looking forward to any and all opportunities that fall on my lap.

The people I have interacted with, for the most part, are instrumental in sharing knowledge, sitting down with you, observing an issue and providing detailed insight, rather than sharing gossip or their personal accomplishments which means nothing to me. I haven't had many negative experiences and hope others that come to Skytrac, the best as well.

Although, I have seen many have taken credit for others workloads due to some being unnoticed by management, I continue keeping in my own lane.

There is much good here, you just need to want to see it.

Pros: 
- free and covered parking, free coffee, clean and tidy washrooms (building maintenance  people are A+)

Cons: 
- They use multiple software platforms across all departments and don’t see the value of streamlining 
- Company culture is very negative. High turnover and constant burnout (including management) in all departments. 
- As the company has grown the deadlines have become unrealistic. Demand is higher but the timeframe to produce is the same.
- There is very little support when it comes to employee well-being. Work life balance is very heavily weighted on ‘work’.
- There is a lack of autonomy and trust from senior leadership. Very much a ‘command-and-control’ structured organization. 
- Lack of communication and teamwork amongst some departments. Very cut throat type competition between internal departments who work closely together to satisfy a customers needs.
- Lack of team effort and accountability between departments when mistakes are made. Direct finger pointing rather than working towards a resolution 
- At town-hall meetings you’ll get called on to answer questions you may or may not know the answer to. When you’re nervous and fumble for a response it’s more of a tactic to maintain the feeling of power and control.
- The ‘open concept’ of the office is more so for easy surveillance rather than the fostering of communication among teams 
- Senior leadership prides themselves on hiring from competitors rather than truly valuing the employee’s worth. 
- Wages, benefits, and vacation time are all below average

At Skytrac, the team culture is one of the standout features. Colleagues are supportive, collaborative, and genuinely invested in each other’s success. This environment fosters creativity and open communication, making it easy to share ideas and work together on projects. Team members often go above and beyond to help one another, which contributes to a positive and motivating workplace.

However, while the camaraderie is strong, I feel that there is a need for more structured opportunities for professional growth. While there are some training programs available, a clearer pathway for career advancement and skill development would be beneficial. Regular feedback sessions and mentorship opportunities could help employees set and achieve their career goals more effectively.

Additionally, I believe that introducing more discipline in processes and project management could enhance overall productivity. Streamlining workflows and establishing clearer guidelines would not only improve efficiency but also help in meeting project deadlines more consistently. Implementing these changes could create an even more dynamic work environment, allowing the team to thrive.

Overall, Skytrac has a fantastic team culture, but with some focus on growth opportunities and discipline, it could elevate the employee experience even further.

An aviation technology company with headquarters in Kelowna, Skytrac is a growing company providing niche opportunities for staff. There are some highly skilled and technically strong employees who are passionate about what they do and some true gems really trying to make a difference.  

However, I observed all levels struggle to work with a difficult and challenging senior leadership team which has lead to frustration, burnout, and ultimately turnover. Employee turnover is consistently high at all levels and departments, but notably in the Finance department. 

There has been, and still are, wonderfully skilled and persistent team members, but despite their efforts there appears to be a continued lack of trust and autonomy from the executive team leading to difficulty attaining resources for needs within the Finance department (staff, ERP, other programs). 

Unfortunately the pervasive challenges faced by this organization have translated into overall low staff morale. Making company culture a priority could help improve this. 

Despite its continued struggles, the company has the potential to be successful if changes are made to improve the environment for those who still work there. 

Management is deeply ineffective and actively blocks growth unless you already have decades of experience. There are no coding standards, no engineering discipline, and no accountability. Leadership within the software team is poorly chosen and lacks both technical competence and people skills. 

Bias and favoritism are evident, decisions are arbitrary, and employees are treated with little to no respect. There is virtually no guidance, no mentorship, and no interest in developing talent. This is an unethical work environment where engineers stagnate rather than grow. 

Because there is little to no guidance or structure, individuals are forced to learn and figure things out on their own, which can build self-reliance. There is freedom to explore and learn independently. However, this comes with constant judgment and criticism rather than support, so any learning is self-driven rather than enabled by the organization. I would strongly advise others to avoid this organization.

I was a co-op with SKYTRAC for 16 months, working across their embedded and web-app testing teams.  While I was there I would execute test cases, and create new ones based on bugs that I found and to better clarify the requirements.

I learned quite a lot about IT, RTOS development, and the aviation industry, as well as stringent QA practices.

Management was friendly and approachable, but as the company expanded, felt more separated from the non-managers then before.

The hardest part of the job was that sometimes there were time crunches to certify software.  As the entire test plan must be run through with the necessary care to see it done correctly, this required some overtime and more demanding oversight.

The most enjoyable part of the job was the work-life balance it afforded me.  I was a co-op, so it's hard to say definitively what a long-term employee would feel, but I at least enjoyed my time there as I could use the flex hours and paid overtime to my benefit.

Overall this company is very poor lead. Amateur decision making, has extremely high turnover, lacks a progressive approach to running an organization. Rigid old-school leadership (8-5, 1 hour unpaid lunch), chaotic and unsophisticated management 

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