Growing pains - Slow down and create a safe space - Recensione dipendente - Dipendente anonimo presso KIMBO Design

1,0
18 ago 2018
Dipendente anonimo
Consiglia
Gradimento del CEO
Pronostico commerciale

Vantaggi

Working for a small company means you can try on many different hats. You get to try out different roles (design, writing, project management, ad buying, etc.) and may discover you had talents you never realized you had. Of course, some may see this as management's way of taking advantage of employees (having them work multiple roles without adequant compensation). Also: working for KIMBO looks good on paper. What's cooler than working for a Vancouver web/design company that boasts a rather impressive list of clients/campaigns?

Svantaggi

Although working for KIMBO can look good on paper, it is not what it appears (at least, not when I worked there). I read a few reviews on this site, and some responses by KIMBO. KIMBO claims that the former employee concerns cited were not known to management at the time (KIMBO asks, why didn't you talk to us?). The answer is rather simple: fear. When I worked at KIMBO, the atmosphere was unpredictable. It was like walking on eggshells; you didn't know what kind of moods you were going to encounter. There were a lot of raised voices in that office, and unprofessional responses to stress (by both management and workers alike). Everyone worked long hard hours at their desks with their heads down. And despite how hard they all worked, they were yelled at when they made mistakes. At the very least, employees who weren't immediately cutting it, were treated to some scathing emails and a lot of TONE. Perhaps, with the company being so small, management simply didn't have time for proper onboarding and mentoring. But training is ongoing, and requires care and understanding. "Training" in this case involved micromanaging and the assumption that employees were "mind readers." After reading some of KIMBO's (rather defensive) responses and recent PR attempts (they are quoted in a recent BC Business article about their work happiness initiatives), it is likely that little has changed with this company. KIMBO thinks that "unhappy employees are more creative" and states that, in her industry, they must "never fail." These two quotes alone reveal a pretty significant blindspot. Failure is an integral part of success. Employees must fail, without fear that doing so will bring reprecussions they may never recover from. Although this place may look good on paper (and their website and office is nice and slick), it's probably not worth the risk. A bad work experience can have severe effects on your mental and physical health, as well as your future goals.

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Risposta di KIMBO Design
7y
As a small company, we don’t have enough work to justify full time positions for everything required, and this is why staff wear many hats. In our interview process, we are clear that we are a small company and must pull together as a team, and help where needed. Employees are adequately compensated for their time here, and within industry norms. It sounds like you are someone who has left the company a while ago. You’re right, we did have growing pains a while back, but I have since learned from my mistakes and we, as a company, are continuously improving. To quote you, failure is an integral part of success, and I recognize the areas that have hindered KIMBO’s success and acted on improving them. We are making continuous changes to our HR practices, all across the board. While this personal attack is hurtful, and saying the workplace was unsafe is quite a stretch, I do sincerely apologize if you personally found me unapproachable, and had a seemingly awful time at KIMBO Design. I don’t know when an employee has faced severe repercussions in failure, or for making the wrong call, but I am sorry if this is something you feared for. In terms of BC Business, this was a quote taken way out of context, and the publication should be printing a retraction on this statement. I do not want my staff to be unhappy, and I do not encourage this for project success. I actually feel totally opposite than what was posted in this article; I feel that happy workers are productive workers, and as a business owner, that is what I want. I also come to the office every day, and in turn want a positive working environment with people whose company I enjoy. We have created a team that is positive and work together when problems arise (because in business, struggles are inevitable). Again, I am sorry that you feel this way about KIMBO. I am thankful for your input, it’s been a positive journey to learn from my mistakes. Rest assured, KIMBO today is nothing like how it’s been described in your post. Kim Pickett, Owner

Esplora altre recensioni su KIMBO Design

2,0
11 mag 2026
Consiglia
Gradimento del CEO
Pronostico commerciale

Vantaggi

Paid my rates, including rush fee

Svantaggi

I understand agency work can be fast-paced and demanding, but this experience felt unnecessarily chaotic due to poor project management and unclear communication. I was brought on as a contractor for an urgent project with little onboarding or clear briefing, which led to avoidable mistakes and shifting expectations. Communication was often reactive rather than structured, and timelines frequently felt unrealistic compared to the actual scope of work. There was also an expectation of late-night and weekend availability that hadn't been communicated beforehand, making work-life balance difficult to maintain. Feedback could be vague or inconsistent, especially when source materials changed or lacked alignment internally. Overall, the environment felt high-pressure without the systems needed to support people effectively. On top of that, I had to follow up repeatedly to receive payment.

2,0
10 mag 2025
Collaboratore esterno anonimo
Consiglia
Gradimento del CEO
Pronostico commerciale

Vantaggi

The office is conveniently located near the SkyTrain, which makes commuting much easier. Fridays in particular tend to be more relax. Additionally, the agency works with various government clients, offering valuable experience and exposure to public sector projects.

Svantaggi

The interview wasn't particularly difficult — it was relatively easy, partly because the interviewer's English proficiency wasn't very strong. During my time at the agency, I gained valuable experience working with government-related projects, as most of their clients are from the public sector — including ministries, municipalities, and even federal departments. However, the work environment was somewhat disorganized and quite toxic. There were frequent internal conflicts and tensions. I had an idea this might be the case from the start, especially after the long-time guy warned me about the toxic culture and shared several stories about fights and all the rage quits and unprofessional firing of employees. Kim, the agency owner, was not that bad at all but most of the glassdoor feedback from ex-employees about her were actually true. Communication can sometimes be an issue, as not all employees have strong English skills. The workplace is also quite unorganized, with a lack of clear structure or consistent processes. One of the more serious concerns is the frequent internal conflicts — loud arguments between team members are not uncommon, which contributes to a tense and sometimes uncomfortable atmosphere. Salary and benefits are meh.

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