Supportive team with growth opportunities and improved morale - Account Manager SMC Communications Employee Review

• Genuinely talented, kind coworkers who supported each other through a hard environment • Solid client roster and interesting work on paper • Decent downtown office location

• Hired as experts, then not trusted to do the work we were hired for. Constant second-guessing and micromanagement • When coworkers left, their workloads were redistributed to existing staff with no pay adjustment, no title change, and no support • Growing client turnover driven by under-resourcing. Accounts weren’t getting the attention they needed because the team was stretched too thin • Felt like a popularity contest. If you weren’t in the owner’s good graces, you became a target. High-school dynamics, not a workplace • Public call-outs over minor, inconsequential things were routine • Zero psychological safety. People walked on eggshells • Extremely high turnover, both from terminations and from people leaving to protect their wellbeing • Mandated days in office, justified by a lack of trust in employees rather than any business rationale • No career growth or development path. No clear progression, no investment in people • Any improvements implemented were repeatedly undone or abandoned • Scope creep was constant. Expected to absorb work well outside role and expertise, with no acknowledgement

There are talented, kind individuals on the team doing their best in a difficult environment

• Leadership feels fundamentally disconnected from the reality of the business. Decisions are made without a clear understanding of how they impact the people actually doing the work, which creates ongoing frustration and inefficiency • There is no real management structure or support. Employees are expected to operate at a high level with little direction, and when things inevitably break down, accountability is unclear or misplaced • Communication from the top often feels inconsistent and, at times, manipulative. It can create an environment where team members feel subtly pitted against one another rather than encouraged to collaborate • Growth and development are frequently discussed but rarely delivered. Roles shift constantly, often pulling employees further away from what they were hired to do, with little explanation or long-term vision • The in-office requirement highlights a deeper cultural issue: a lack of connection. It’s difficult to feel motivated in a space where people don’t speak, collaborate, or feel psychologically safe