Pros
You quickly learn it’s not the right place, no structure, no real business, no solutions. The professionals ones do not last long.
Kontras
Management consisted largely of the CEO’s family members and friends. The organisation operated with limited transparency, there was a high turnover of roles, often with positions being filled and replaced within a short period of time.
Pros
-You will quickly learn how a company is NOT supposed to run. The worst place I've had the displeasure of being associated with. -Some of the staff are lovely people.
Kontras
-Leadership culture is hostile and unprofessional. The CEO regularly speaks to staff in a demeaning, infantilizing way, creating an atmosphere where people operate like robots rather than professionals. -Serious governance concerns: senior management has very poor understanding of how a regulated firm should be operated. -Heads of departments are mostly relatives/friends of the CEO - they are mostly clueless and lack depth of knowledge in relation to their positions. -Disturbingly, senior leaders (including the CEO) have used racist language about Black people in the workplace. This is not treated as a serious issue internally. HR laughed it off. -HR processes are weak. Hiring is suspiciously fast, with little evidence of proper assessment roles. -HR runs an “employee survey” that is entirely performative. Feedback is not acted upon, and nothing substantively changes as a result. -Onboarding is chaotic and inadequate. New hires receive minimal guidance, are left to “figure it out,” and are then penalised for not meeting vague expectations. -Targets in the first two months are unrealistic and disconnected from operational reality. You will be fired suddenly with unjustifiable reasons. -There is no clear strategy, structure, or consistent ways of working. Decision-making feels ad hoc. -Weekly Friday company meetings feel like an open animal market: lots of noise and posturing, but little concrete discussion or follow-through. -Office environment is tacky and unprofessional (e.g., political artwork of Trump and graffiti money on the walls). -Client satisfaction is visibly low, which places additional pressure on staff. -“Team trip” arrangements were poorly planned and inappropriate (three adults placed in a room with separate single beds). A terrible experience where staff were drinking in the small hotel room of the CEO.
Pros
Some teams have good managers and good internal communication and colleagues. But not all of them.
Kontras
Absolutely unprofessional toxic environment. CEO's family mostly runs the business. It is normal for higher management to yell at employees and write offensive messages in caps lock in the common chat. People work for 12+ hours without payment for it, because they're so overworked. CEO yells at employees in curse words in meetings. Feels like the company has no clue what they're doing, they change priorities each day, sometimes in the span of half an hour. Constant turnover of employees.