Fingers crossed the newer Digital leads will clean house - Vice President Edelman Employee Review

3.0
10 July 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Supportive President who will hopefully take this PR firm into the Digital future. Beautiful location, free ice cream and other basic agency perks you find elsewhere.

Cons

The "Mean Girls environment" that one reviewer stated is 100% true especially on the Chicago Consumer team. They are the worst, very exclusive and borderline bullying attitude. Collectively, the behavior seems like those so fearful of not "getting" digital and losing their relevance that they treat any from a real digital background as second class citizens. This behavior is apparent from the top - down. From AAEs all the way up to the SVP/EVPs. I think that Edelman works more on investment plans to find room for PR folks on Digital SOWs then profitable work. It's not sustainable for an agency with already record high billable rates.

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Edelman Response
8y
I'm happy to hear your hopefulness regarding the promise of our digital future in Chicago and I have to agree. I would also be lying if I didn't say it made me smile to hear your comments about free ice cream so close to National Ice Cream Day! On a more serious note, I hear your constructive feedback loud and clear and I am in conversation with business leaders to look into and address any possible troubles brewing. Thanks for raising your concerns. Maria O'Keeffe, Executive Director, US HR

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The pace can be a lot, and the work can feel reactive at times. Priorities shift quickly and roles often expand beyond the original scope without always having clear boundaries, title growth, or compensation changes. Career growth is possible, but you often have to advocate for it yourself. Overall, Edelman can be a great place to grow if you are adaptable, organized, and comfortable with ambiguity. It works best when you have strong leaders, clear expectations, and support around workload and growth. That last part is impossible to control, so may the odds be in your favor.

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