Started with Potential, but Leadership Challenges Led to a Toxic Culture - Anonymous employee Sage Recruiting Employee Review

1. Lack of Formal Structure & Job Security Employees were not given formal offer letters or contracts, and when inquiring about it, were told "We’re informal here." The absence of clear policies led to inconsistencies in expectations and made employees vulnerable to sudden changes or dismissals. Without structured agreements, job roles and security felt unpredictable. 2. Increasing Micromanagement & Leadership Concerns After an incident involving a former employee, leadership became more controlling, which created tension in the workplace. Employees often felt pressure to conform to leadership’s expectations, rather than being empowered to work independently. Leadership sometimes struggled to delegate responsibility, leading to an environment where decisions revolved around one person instead of fostering collaboration. 3. Mandatory Reading as a Promotion Requirement Employees were required to read Radical Candor by Kim Scott as part of understanding leadership’s management style. Completing the book became a requirement for promotion into leadership roles, which was an unusual expectation. This failed to recognize employees’ work-life balance, as personal time was dictated by a non-essential reading assignment. 4. Company Retreat Exposed Deeper Workplace Issues A team-building retreat in Phuket highlighted underlying problems in leadership and workplace culture: Unrealistic Expectations: Employees were required to finish Radical Candor before the trip, despite it being the busy holiday season. Concerns about this were dismissed. Culturally Insensitive Comments: Leadership made remarks such as "Gotta fill those Filipino bellies" and "You girls eat like garbage disposals." There were also comments about body image, cultural differences, and language barriers that made employees uncomfortable. Inconsistent Meal Planning: Food arrangements were unclear, and employees had to navigate meals on their own without prior notice. When one employee requested an extra cup of rice (20 baht), leadership responded, "You guys don’t even finish your food, but yeah, sure," yet later seemed confused why food concerns weren’t addressed in real time. Disorganized Itinerary: Planned activities were canceled last minute, making the trip feel unstructured despite a promising location. Tense Atmosphere: Leadership’s unpredictable mood swings made it difficult to fully enjoy the retreat, creating unnecessary tension. 5. Resistance to Constructive Feedback & Unjustified Termination While leadership claimed to encourage honest feedback, responses to concerns were often defensive rather than constructive. After the retreat, employees privately shared feedback about the experience, but leadership took it personally and accused a colleague of attacking them. Leadership solicited feedback from the entire team, which only escalated tension rather than resolving concerns. Shortly after, an employee who voiced concerns was abruptly terminated, raising questions about job security and how dissent was handled internally. 6. Minimal Salary Increases & a Toxic Exit Process Annual raises were minimal, often just a small percentage, with leadership citing various reasons for financial limitations. Employees who resigned frequently had their reputations damaged internally, as leadership spoke negatively about former employees to the remaining team, creating a toxic exit culture.