Start-up Culture of Mild, Yet Harmful, Toxicity - Anonymous employee Herman-Scheer Employee Review

1.0
18 Oct 2022
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

They give you a plant when you get hired.

Cons

People who refuse to take responsibility for their own mistakes, blaming them on subordinates, big talk about family when in reality it's a small group of the earliest employees and young people who are good at their jobs but too inexperienced in agency life or too scared to rock the boat who get the privileged treatment, big ego, often a boy's club, siloing, layering, overreactive to honest feedback, ruthless and catty creative reviews. What can you say? It's the same old song. Maybe their worst sin though is high-talking about their success, buying an office during an ongoing pandemic, making several new hires, then laying them all off just after a month, offering pitiful severance, and asking them to sign NDAs about it to keep the noise low. Lmao and then posting on their IG soon after again about how awesome everything is, then blocking the one employee with the guts to call them out about it. Accountability is an easy word to learn and Google is free.

Explore other reviews about Herman-Scheer

5.0
15 July 2025
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Herman-Scheer is a tight-knit and talented creative team that truly cares about the work. The team is a delight to work with: good-natured, genuine, and full of interesting, sharp individuals across disciplines. Leadership encourages initiative and supports experimentation, making it a great environment for self-starters who want to take ownership and help shape a growing agency.

Cons

The high expectations and fast pace can be challenging to those without strong self-direction. The agency is still evolving, which means the people who are successful here are comfortable with a level of ambiguity and excited by trying new things.

2.0
16 Nov 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

A few kind teammates try to support each other against the chaos.

Cons

- Office cliques dominate everything, and anyone outside the inner circle becomes a target. - Some managers shield favorites while ignoring hard-working employees, creating constant frustration and resentment. - Transparency is nearly nonexistent, and passive aggression hits instantly once you stop agreeing with every decision. - Skilled employees get sidelined while unqualified staff rise simply for staying silent. - Financial decisions make no sense and destroy any trust in the system. - Feedback quickly turns into personal attacks when it challenges someone higher up. - Meetings feel like performances where listening is fake and no real change occurs. - The mood swings unpredictably depending on who is present, forcing everyone to tread carefully to avoid unfair punishment. - It is exhausting to focus on work while navigating a system that rewards the wrong people and punishes honesty and integrity.

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