“I wouldn’t wish this job on my worst enemy.”
“I’m about to curl up in a ball and give up, I can’t take it anymore, I’m so depressed"
“I think every day that it surely can't get worse than this, and every day I am proven wrong.”
“This job has destroyed me”
“I’ve been crying all day”
“In the morning I feel sick at the idea of logging onto work.”
These are just a few quotes from multiple team members in my time at iHeart.
My time working as a Digitial Solutions Engineer / Digital Account Manager has been the most miserable time of my life. In these years working on the digital team I have never been so poorly treated, disrespected, and overworked.
Working alongside the sales team at iHeart is harrowing. The culture that's allowed to flourish on the sales team is toxic and hostile. Our team is treated like dogs by the account executives. They are unprofessional, demanding, and incompetent, and the digital team acts as their scapegoats and punching bags. They lack knowledge of the products we sell, tactics and strategy are lost on them, and they struggle to use the most basic technology. This goes for the AEs, their managers, and the market VPs. Their behavior is an embarrassment to the company.
I have raised alarms for years begging for AE training and for the sales managers to crack down on the disturbing behavior, unreasonable, and abusive treatment exhibited by the sales team, and time and time again I have been disappointed by the lack of change. "Sales will be sales" is the favorite excuse.
The overwork cannot be stressed enough. Our team of less than ten DSEs / Account Managers managed over 130+ AEs. And every AE expects they should be the priority. We plan, launch, and manage these campaigns from beginning to end and get zero credit or acknowledgment. And no matter how hard and how efficiently you work, you will always be behind. Burnout is inevitable.
There is essentially zero growth opportunity besides progressing to a Senior DSE/Account manager. In which you take on double the workload and take on the more complicated campaigns with a MINIMAL pay raise.
Speaking of pay - the pay gaps in this position were ridiculous. As a senior, I was still making less than a new hire. The pay is below average and the benefits are disappointing. Few days off and expensive insurance. Good luck if you ask for a raise. Even if you have shown great performance a raise request will be promptly ignored or denied. No yearly reviews are given despite being promised.
