Pros
The only positive aspect was the employees. Smart, kind people trying their best in a very difficult environment.
Cons
PhD required for work that does not require a PhD. The job heavily involved creating documents using tools like ChatGPT, not actual scientific expertise. It felt misleading to require such an advanced degree for this type of work. Extremely low pay for PhD-level roles. No sick days. Management behavior felt inappropriate, erratic, and at times disrespectful. Many employees, including myself, often felt belittled or dismissed. Dress code made no sense for a company in this industry, especially given that client interactions were online. It felt like the strict dress code (and the insistence on hiring only PhD-level staff) existed mainly to compensate for deeper professionalism issues within leadership. Very high turnover. Many people left after only 3–4 months, which created constant instability and low morale. Focus on appearance instead of performance. Instead of meaningful feedback, management frequently commented on outfits. At one point, leadership openly claimed they “don’t hire ugly people,” which was extremely unprofessional and inappropriate. Health benefits were minimal and did not cover much. Very small operational budgets. Even simple items like coffee creamers became a point of debate. After several resignations, leadership attempted to boost morale with Starbucks coffees, which did not address the underlying issues. Concerns about how commissions were handled. The commission system felt unclear, inconsistent, and many sales staff expressed frustration about payouts not matching expectations. Overall culture: The workplace atmosphere was consistently negative. All employees were visibly unhappy, stressed, and felt devalued. It was the most chaotic and uncomfortable environment I’ve worked in. Questionable branding practices. During my time there, the company began posting new job openings under a completely different company name, which raised concerns among staff about transparency and reputation management.