Great team and growth, but unclear promotion path - Visual Designer Kettle Employee Review

Im about 8 months into working here at Kettle. I joined this agency for an awful and toxic agency that raised my blood pressure every day. Kettle is different; it felt like coming home. Warm, welcoming, and leadership is present (both emotionally and physically), and they make time for you. @Leadership, if you're reading this, please know that we see your effort and the amazing work home that you provide for us. I feel so loved and seen here at Kettle. Also, the transparency into the business and its goals as a whole is phenomenal.

No cons thus far! :)

It’s good if you’re early in your career and want exposure to a fast-moving creative environment. They’ve gone out of their way to help employees navigate personal crises.

The lack accountability and relational skills are core issues here. This was a consistent pattern *not* isolated incidents. • Complaints about yelling, gaslighting, and passive aggression from leaders across design and production were raised repeatedly and went unaddressed by HR and at the C-suite level. • Cross-functional partners, including some freelancers in quasi-leadership roles, exhibited persistent bullying, tantrums/outbursts and intimidating behavior with no consequence. • HR and the C-suite’s non-response to these complaints — no private accountability, no public acknowledgment — signaled that psychological safety was not a real priority. • Kettle has a well-documented reputation for burning out ICs. That reputation is earned. On diversity and inclusion: the company markets gender diversity at the leadership level, but representation alone doesn’t create a safe or equitable environment. The inclusion and equity efforts I observed were largely performative — Slack-based initiatives, no real process for raising bias-related concerns, and no meaningful follow-through. If leadership can’t hold itself accountable, the gender makeup of the C-suite is beside the point.