Don't work here if you value your happiness - Anonymous employee Highwire Employee Review

Highwire's principals brag that the agency is called "Highwire" because they like to think that like all balancing acts, it's one that requires talent and finesse. That’s true, but Highwire's culture is also like walking a tightrope: lots of tension, fear, and largely a solo act, with a long and frightening way to fall if you make the slightest misstep (and no teammate support). The culture is toxic and unsupportive (unless you are in upper management and have the benefit of shoving all the hard work onto your underlings). The numbers speak for themselves: probably at least 30 employees leave in a year (a ~50% turnover rate), and quite a few after less than six months and without another job lined up (that's how desperately people want to get out). To name a few problems: -Very little appreciation for the work you do. Sometimes projects you’ve bent over backwards on in order to meet deadlines are received without any acknowledgement. And because managers kind of suck at being responsive and on top of their own work/inboxes/deadlines you have to chase them just to determine if they even saw your work since it’s also unlikely they’ll circle back with feedback. -Managers “delegate” (as they should) but when it’s needed, aren’t willing to buckle down and take on their fair share of work even if the rest of the team is overworked -Hypocrisy: Managers get away with incompetence at the higher levels and often don’t really know what’s going on on their teams -Lack of empathy from management: For example, principals and management were often out of touch with what's going on on the ground and would promise unachievable things to the client without checking with the day-to-day team to see what’s realistic. They aren’t cognizant of how much their sometimes ridiculous demands add to the workload and how feasible and necessary they are, or maybe they just don't care. -Lots of office politics: Extremely difficult to get promoted without jumping through new hoops all the time. Would rather hire unqualified people from outside rather than promoting existing employees who are already performing at the level above them. -Passive-aggressive culture, lack of support, and managers who would rather complain behind your back than talk to you man-to-man to try to understand your POV. Minor things often blown out of proportion or portrayed to leadership in ways different than they actually occurred. -Management knows that they have a culture problem (hard to ignore with their crazy turnover rates) but you’re unable to share constructive feedback without it being perceived as “pushback” -As other reviewers on here have alluded to, the principals are the problem. They are close-minded tyrants who refuse to listen to professional opinions or approaches different than their own without them thinking YOU have a problem. (Look in the mirror.) Even those in upper management are scared of expressing something different than what the principals think, which is sad and pathetic. They also don’t mind having loud uncomfortable conversations about (or with) employees out in the open. Since culture flows from the top, it’s no wonder Highwire's is so miserable. New employees (maybe the only ones who are satisfied), once you get out of your initial Highwire honeymoon period you realize how extremely poisonous, passive-aggressive and unsupportive the culture is and will start dreading every Monday. Don’t work here if you value your happiness.