Politics, favouritism, and disconnected management make this a horrible place to work - Senior Producer AKQA Employee Review

1.0
2 June 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good people, nice rooftop, free drinks on Friday.

Cons

NO travel or parking reimbursement, NO reimbursement for travel to client's offices, NO gym reimbursement, NO cell phone / internet reimbursement, NO training budget ever gets approved, NO days off for training / conferences ever get approved, NO flexible vacation plan, NO lunches, NO work-from-home policy, NO modern equipment, NO leadership you can learn from, very rare to get time-in-lieu repaid for overtime / weekends / holidays worked, NO Christmas bonuses what so ever, horrible raises -- no wonder the average employment length is under 9 months. Think antiquated sweatshop with no vision or ability to sell, and that's AKQA in Sydney. Race to mediocracy because nobody at the wheel knows how to do anything other than BS clients and then farm the work out to contractors.

Explore other reviews about AKQA

5.0
13 Mar 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

solid people, remote work, good work

Cons

company is a little lost at the moment. struggling with profitability

4.0
7 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

AKQA is a great line-item for your resumé. You'll work with excellent talent, and will (likely) get to work on some exciting things.

Cons

A lot of changes in the organization lead to a tangible decline following its acquisition by WPP. The "spark" that comes with a talented and exciting independent agency was noticeably lost – it began functioning more and more as a cog in a machine, leading to a lot of talented leadership leaving behind the Founder, as well as the loss of valuable clients. Limited transparency in career roadmaps and growth opportunities. Low pay considering the size of the organization (and its clients), no transparency regarding pay increase/bonus (if you get one at all). All things considered, if you're thinking about joining AKQA, I would (currently) approach it as a stepping stone in your career rather than a long-term home.

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