Vantaggi
To clarify, this commentary applies specifically to the "NEXTGEN" pillar, as that is the only area within the company that I have exposure. WFH and, for the moment, half-day Fridays Like any company, you will find some friendly, helpful people who actually care about the job and are top performers. None of these people will be in management, though. The former CEO of the company, Andrew Rashbass, seemed like a genuinely decent human being who instituted policies that created a more inclusive culture and, on a surface level, brought the company out of the dark ages. However, he's gone now, he was pushed out. The company presently has no CEO, although the NEXTGEN group has at least two CEOs. (Explain that to me, please...) They are making a long-overdue push toward diversity - however, even here, they never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. The "diverse" employees are either in meaningless window dressing roles or often unqualified or underqualified tokens willingly acting as foot soldiers for the white British old boys' club. There is opportunity for paid travel, and expense reimbursement has ironically gotten more efficient.
Svantaggi
Where to start? By far, the most toxic workplace I've ever encountered. While the former CEO was a decent guy who tried to modernize the workplace, he still allowed plenty of awfulness to pervade under his purview. An ever-expanding army of do-nothing middle managers hand down draconian diktats to the understaffed (skeleton crew) worker bees. These people are either pugnacious bullies or slithery weasels who smile in your face while plunging the knife in your back. They endorse and even encourage widespread nasty politics among their foot soldiers - gaslighting, micro-aggressions, all sticks and no carrots - it's all here! Need more? Great - there's plenty: * The "working-from-home" arrangement has had the effect of exposing many middle managers as being exactly what they are: glorified hall monitors who do no trench work of their own. They are now freaking out about having their uselessness laid bare and so are getting more aggressive about petty micromanaging, presenteeism (remote, but still irritating and a drain on actual productivity). Management treats journalists as though they are widget builders in a factory. *Veteran employees who have proven their dedication and are the building blocks of the place are routinely marginalized and subjected to rampant ageism, often by people who are ridiculously out of touch with the industry and who are often incapable of the same level of productivity themselves. But...they show up for all the Teams chats because - guess what? - THEY'RE NOT THAT BUSY DOING ACTUAL WORK! * Straight conversations about compensation are regularly avoided/delayed to the point where it's all about how little they can get away with paying you. They have the audacity to demand productivity now, with the decision of how much to pay you coming later later, or hopefully not at all after you get so burned out or tired of asking *Poor communication or lack of it entirely, often regarding crucial projects. *Editorial - the personnel that produces the content that actually DRIVES THE BUSINESS - is always the scapegoat for anything that goes wrong in any other capacity, but is yet forced to the share the glory (and the revenue) of successful projects with people so make marginal or no contribution whatsoever. "Success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan." *Some awful behavior witnessed on the parts of co-workers, including management. Working from home means that no sociopathic managers are yelling at workers in the office anymore in front of co-workers, but the remote environment has empowered many people to be the worst versions of themselves, and you basically have no choice but to do the same in order to fight them off. And if several of them decide in concert that they don't like you for whatever reason, forget it - it's total mob mentality, often driven by petty jealousy and the expectation that you basically are there to tap to their beat. *Some of the most stark examples of "failing up" I have ever seen in my life. People who have made massive errors or otherwise failed in their charge inexplicably get promoted and rewarded because the navigated the political thicket. Meanwhile, top performers get marginalized and even punished if they don't "play the game" and "be a team player," which, at this place, amounts to doing other people's jobs for them. *London runs the show, and they don't let you forget that. The New York office is just the ginger stepchild for them to swan into and cheekily shunt their own tasks onto. I could go on, but you get the picture. If you think I'm just bitter disgruntled, don't take my word for it. Do your own research and search through these Glassdoor reviews for terms like "bully" and see how often "management" is referenced as a "con" to see for yourself how many others have told this tale before.