- The micromanagement is real. I don't know why but it became a culture, especially during the pandemic. For example, our OIC insisted on using a tool that they probably asked management to buy -- without even asking us, the team. They were always asking if we needed more tools to improve our work, which I appreciated. However, we insisted that we were fine with our current tools and they still insisted and presented us with this tool that doesn't generate the results they want. It's a waste of time and money, as well as patience since it can be frustrating.
It's frustrating because we at the operations arm know what works. We've seen the results. We present it. And somehow, they don't believe it until they've had cold, hard data. We show them results, but it's never enough. You're torn between using a tool that doesn't work to please the upper management and not using the tool (and get results) but get stink eyes from the managers. I doubt our manager has even attempted to do what we do. Try it for a month. You'll see what we're talking about.
Because the upper management is pressuring our leads, the managers end up pressuring us, not trusting us when we say the results aren't going to appear magically. Even a Neil Patel SEO blog will tell you that ranks don't increase overnight.
- I don't understand why they hired a lead/expert and still tell this person what to do instead of letting the hire do what they do best. Why hire them in the first place?
- I'm not a direct victim of this, but I've witnessed the call-out culture mentioned in the previous reviews -- specifically the email on absences. Before, HR would privately talk with the employees with excess absences (along with their team leads) to address the problem. Memos were sent in private. Now, I was part of an email where people's names were sent to us and some of those people had to go and defend themselves in public, too.
Accountability is important. I agree with the general manager on that part. However, there are some matters that can be discussed in private. It worked before. I don't see how it won't work today.
- this stopped lately, but the barrage of emails that didn't relate to me was quite disconcerting. Not everyone's a big fan of emails that don't involve them.
- your roles just change magically. One night, you're this, the next day, you're doing something else. They keep changing the strategy, going as far as changing your role. The changes are due to impatience over "lack of results."In SEO, Google's algorithm changes can be frantic, but most of the time, the strategy you're doing now still works. You just have to improve it.
They don't improve it. They overhaul it. So, you're left with adapting from one week to another. If you keep changing strategy, you're never going to get the results, trust me.
This happens because the manager doesn't bother to consult with the people who actually do the heavy lifting. Oh, they'll ask about the tools and they'll ask you to write down the process, but that's it. It's just tucked in yet another Google sheet hidden somewhere, under the other Google sheets with other processes they won't use since they prefer to go their way.
