Pros
Edelman offers the opportunity to work on big brands, which is good for your CV. The Sydney office is very nice which is a good thing because you'll be spending a lot of time there. The staff are given occasional lunches paid for by the company.
Cons
One of the previous reviews captured perfectly what it's like to work at Edelman in Australia. The prestige of the company is no doubt a drawcard for many potential employees, but once you're in, things quickly turn sour. Potential staff are sold a dream of work-life balance, their desired clients and strong mentorship and development. This is why they accept pay that is far below industry average. Once they join, they are told "business needs have changed" and they're placed on accounts that were never mentioned during the hiring process. Staff are constantly over capacity, and are often too stressed about deadlines to use the bathroom or go downstairs to buy their lunch. If they ask for time-in-lieu, they're told it's their own fault for not getting their work done within business hours even though there's no possible way this could be achievable. Somehow, the leadership team manages to get away with behaviour that'd get you suspended at school. I've never seen so many people have mental breakdowns or simply burst into tears from the constant bullying that goes on. An Associate Director in the brand team has been consistently reported for bullying junior staff, but the rest of management turns a blind eye to this conduct or makes excuses. Astonishingly, Edelman purports to be a champion of mental health, commonly discussing its importance in the media. Yet, behind closed doors, it's totally acceptable for an Account Director to yell at an Account Coordinator during their first week in front of the entire team. If you are considering a role at Edelman, please think very carefully. The PR industry has a high turnover but Edelman is really something else. Over the course of a few short months, an entire account team resigned due to the horrible working conditions. There are other agencies out there that that will treat you with respect. Treat you as a human being and not an object to be chewed up and spat out.
