Hollow & Demotivating - Wasted Potential - Graphic Designer 55 KNOTS Employee Review

2.0
21 Feb 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Coworkers are mostly nice and friendly, having good work ethic, and can be relied on with tasks. - Work can be done at home or at any environment of preference. - It's relatively easy to get accepted here and you can start working immediately. - Relatively young company that's full of potential and amazing talent. - Account handlers give their absolute best to help you out whenever you have a problem or inquiry.

Cons

- Information, especially regarding changes in operations, systems, or management, lacks proper dissemination and content. Often, there are disconnects between announcements and no one seems to keep or record them properly. This leads to constant confusion, heavy inquiry, and general frustration for those affected. - Problem solving is not a strong suit. Missteps in management and information manipulation are likely to happen which causes employees ending up with more questions than answers. It's never 100% transparent. - Promises from upper management are usually never kept. Assurances here mean little. - Upper management cares more about generating new clients and revenue rather than taking care of current ones and examining their current capabilities. Tasks get overwhelming in number due to this. - Adding on the point above, the company seemingly prioritizes its own marketing and image more than its own clients. - Assigning tasks is a struggle because of the lack of necessary designers with specific skills which can lead to mismatches and re-assignments. - Employees (mostly designers) come and go quickly. An astonishingly high number of people stay for only 1-3 months before leaving. It's hectic since tasks get left unfinished yet everyone's overloaded and still have a long queue of tasks left. - Designers are encouraged not to overwork or go overtime, but they still do it because there's little time for the amount of tasks to go through and the revisions needed. - Work/life balance is not what it seems to be advertised due to the point above. It's more of an upper management privilege. - Also, the proper term is "contractors", not "employees." The company is mostly dominated by Filipino workers and it comes across a bit exploitive since the company emphasizes on "big savings" while sourcing creative talent from the Philippines. - Compensation isn't that great too, partnering it with the lack of benefits and amount of work. There are also no performance reviews or expected timely/tenure raises so you're going to ask for raises yourself. - No room to grow. As aforementioned, there are no performance reviews, and efforts to have "upskilling" sessions are lackluster. Although there are art directors and tenured designers that can assist you and point out improvements on certain tasks, there are no real assessments that can help you identify your shortcomings or strengths. Also, everyone's too busy to bother with it in the first place. - Upper management feels cold and unapproachable, feigning empathy yet turns their back on concerns and/or addresses them poorly. - Upper management loves taking care of their public image rather than the internal issues. It is irksome how "excellent" and "amazing" the company looks to the public while employees don't feel the same way. Reviews are manipulated and the company actively works against good criticism. - Employees are given additional responsibilities or even tasks outside of their original scope or job description but this won't adjust their salaries, time, or workload. - "The company is struggling financially" is their blanket-term for all justifications of their actions. - More reactive than preventive. The workers here are all incredibly talented individuals and the company itself is still young and still full of opportunities ahead, but the potential will go to waste if upper management continues what they're doing.

Explore other reviews about 55 KNOTS

5.0
13 Feb 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

✅ Career Growth & Trust: I started as a Customer Success Manager (CSM), and within three months, I was promoted to Accounts Receivable Specialist. By 2024, I became a Payroll Accountant because of the trust and confidence the company placed in me. ✅ Employee Development: Despite having minimal knowledge in accounting, 55KNOTS provided me with training and even enrolled me in a paid program to strengthen my skills in accounting and payroll—a rare and valuable opportunity. ✅ Supportive Leadership: The founder and country head are approachable, considerate, and easy to communicate with, making the work environment positive and motivating. ✅ Great Work Culture: I have no issues with my co-workers—everyone is professional, collaborative, and easy to work with. The company fosters a healthy and supportive work environment. ✅ Recognition & Opportunities: 55KNOTS acknowledges hard work and provides opportunities for career advancement, which keeps employees motivated and engaged.

Cons

🤝 High Expectations = More Growth: The company places a lot of trust in its employees, which means you are expected to grow and take on new challenges—but this also accelerates your career development. 📚 Continuous Learning: With the company investing in training, there’s a strong focus on upskilling—which is great but also requires commitment and adaptability to keep up with industry standards. 🏆 Responsibility Comes with Trust: Being given bigger roles like Accounts Receivable Specialist and Payroll Accountant means increased responsibility, but it also shows how much the company values and believes in its employees.

1.0
27 July 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

You can work remotely, approachable workmates(non-admin staff). There is potential but...

Cons

Several early signs of red flag - hiring staff are very manipulative, they will require you to do tests from the get-go, They will make you wait & waste your time, and you can't do anything about it. Likes to take care of their branding image but in reality they will not solve your problems, they will only tend to the client's needs - they do bring in the revenue, and we, the talents are treated as expandable. The points discussed below by previous employees are true. Once a client doesn't have a need for you anymore, they will drop you. If you think about it, that is why they outsource talent, because it doesn't look like they have the accountability to retain you. Take it with a grain of salt if you want to believe the high ratings here, I believe they are filtered or is required by the admins for current employees to give good ratings. If you are still keen in joining them, I urge you to try to search for other reviews online, you get more or less the same ratings. You have been warned.

10
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