Lots of busy work that don’t go anywhere. Directors and above are difficult to work with because they are too comfortable with their way of doing things and are not open to new ideas. You have to be very careful with what you say to them because they’ll make a big deal out of something minute and tell leadership which can hurt someone’s career. Their interactions with their direct reports is rude, demeaning and sometimes culturally inappropriate. Their interactions with leadership is the opposite. There is little to no accountability with how some directors and above treat their direct reports even if several associates have escalated the issue to leadership and HR.
Work/life balance is worse since WFH. You can work 10 hours straight without a lunch break and your director is still demanding more out of you. Recognition is not sincere and feedback is more demotivating than constructive.