Circle Graphics Reviews

* Never have I worked for a business with this high of a degree of disregard for peoples' autonomy, humanity and personal lives. At best, Circle does not care about its employees. At worst, Circle has nothing but contempt for their employees. And regardless of what they may have convinced themselves or you to think otherwise, these are the only two options. And regardless of THAT, it's the latter which is felt by the workers. *There is no work/life balance. You will be underpaid, overworked and expected to work surprise overtime shifts or work ridiculous hours for no practical reason and with no practical results. The people in supervisory or managerial positions are squeezed even harder and stretched even thinner, to the degree that their work has become their life...forget about aspiring toward any kind of balance. * The administrative/upper-management team is a giant clown shoe. A bumbling bunch of fools who, amongst a myriad of other transgressions and microaggressions, are apparently antivax and ended up getting most of one of their Raleigh warehouses infected with Covid. I wish this was the worst of it, but when you have a group of people clearly unfit for leadership or managerial roles, well there's always a new "worst" lurking around the corner. * With regards to the Embellishment department, Circle wants talented artists with degrees, backgrounds and specific skill-sets but they don't want to provide appropriate compensation, an appropriate working environment for creating the type of artwork expected, nor do they want to treat their artists with even a modicum of respect or trust while simultaneously expecting them to satisfy their very finicky clients. If Circle had it their way, they'd hire unskilled temp labor and call it a day. Too bad the clients are demanding and exacting...so instead they treat their skilled team like they *are* unskilled temp labor, and they get away with it, no cares given to the incredible turnover rate. *Unsafe work environment. Whether we're talking about physical altercations in the warehouse or just your run-of-the-mill sexual harassment which occurs *every single day*. *Benefits. What benefits? Another clown shoe. *Diversity and inclusion: White people on the top of the pyramid, people of color on the bottom...with very few exceptions. *To call the place dystopian might be hyperbole, but this place is undoubtedly embracing their place within the landscape of late stage capitalism. It wouldn't surprise me to find out that CEO Andrew Cousins has a shrine to Jeff Bezos in his home or that he sheds a single silent tear any time he reads of a business unionizing.

I have been shocked for the longest time that this company’s ratings are so high, but I learned why a few months ago. The higher-ups have been going around pressuring people to go online and write good reviews about the company. Don’t believe what you read up here. Another big reason is that nobody cares about the bad management here. Employees try to address issues, but nothing is ever done about it, which really kills morale. Take it from someone who has been working here a long time-STAY AWAY. There are definitely some great managers in this company, but the bad managers outweigh the good 5 to 1. It would be easier to list off the good managers, and a lot quicker. This company does not care about their employees whatsoever. Raises don’t exist here unless you are promoted. Doesn’t matter how hard you work or how much money you bring in for the company. If you’re not getting promoted into a new position then you’re not getting a raise. Plain and simple. This is very problematic because the pay, to begin with, is extremely low. Only work here if you REALLY need the money. Take a couple of extra weeks/months to find a better job. This company is not worth it. I honestly believe this is why there are so many terrible people in charge. All the good managers/employees go elsewhere to get paid what they deserve and don’t put up with this crap. If you are fresh out of college and need some experience, this is the place for you. It’s fine to work here for a year or so to get some real world experience, but don’t hang out here much longer than that. You definitely don’t want to get stuck here. The turnover rate has grown immensely over the past year. Lately people have been dropping like flies every other week. Five people are quitting this week. Five. Thanksgiving through Christmas is insanity at Circle Graphics. They spend 10 months a year planning and preparing for two months. If you like spending the holidays with family, this is not the place for you. You’ll be working 9-10 hours during the regular workweek and you’ll be expected to come in on the weekends when December arrives. Time off during the holidays is not allowed other than Thanksgiving day and Christmas day. If orders are done and out of the building by Christmas then you can certainly take time off, but that is a rarity.