This agency has the curb appeal and promise of a place that should make a great career starter or career jump for all ...but ended up only being great for folks that are grandfathered and/or invited into the "favorites club" or have no boundaries or desires beyond work.
Long story, short: I fell for the trap and hope that candidates take heed that most of these "great" reviews were forced upon new hires before they were aware of any issues. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if management comes back with a convoluted answer to this review that blames "rapid growth" and "the growing pains of a new agency". Regardless, this business is old enough to treat people with respect and pay employees a livable wage.
Advice to Prospective Candidates: Ask tons of questions during interviews around culture and work-life balance, be weary of process and structure for your department because there's no streamlined structure over the entire agency, and keep an exit plan handy if you do accept a position.
There's no room for constructive pushback (without passive-aggressive consequences) and you should be ready to do as CEO says--good or bad.
Some Other Issues:
- No boundaries with certain clients
- No regard for Best Practices, Bottom-line Only
- Overworking Celebrated
- NO training & NO system for reviews or raises
- Obvious favoritism & NO transparency about Turnover/New Hires
- Bottlenecked Processes due to CEO Micromanagement
- Below industry-standard benefits package