Toxic culture and weird leadership (CN office) - AE-SAM The Hoffman Agency Employee Review

2.0
10 Apr 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

If you’re junior/mid-level (below AD), you’ll get a "fantastic" chance to overwork with no recognition and get free lessons in office politics at the Hoffman Agency! Competent employees are overworked while the so-called leadership (AD level and above) contributes little to daily execution or NBD. Promotions are based on favoritism rather than merit.

Cons

1. Unqualified leadership: - Senior staff (AD+) contribute little—expect no help with executions, pitches, or proposals. That's why some of them lack industry respect. - The boss frequently WFH (for various reasons of course), yet micromanages employees who request remote work. 2. Bullying and gossip culture: Toxic cliques spread rumors, bully colleagues, and even trash-talk clients openly in the office. (employee who is good at office politics gets promotion quickly...) 3. Heavy workloads - OT is demanded (via email or F2F talks).

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The Hoffman Agency Response
1y
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re disappointed to learn that your experience at Hoffman was less than ideal. We take your feedback seriously and see them as a valuable opportunity to improve. We have taken your initial feedback onboard, and would like to share our response and views with you. - Promotions at Hoffman are guided by a 360-degree feedback process that incorporates perspectives from managers, peers, and senior leaders. We strive to ensure that decisions are based on performance, impact, and potential—not favoritism. Still, we recognize that perception matters, and we are continually working to reinforce fairness and transparency across the board. - We understand that certain roles and moments (e.g. during key client campaigns, activations and peak periods) can involve significant demands. We do not view overwork as a sign of commitment, and we generally endorse reasonable and practicable flexible work arrangements and compensation leave when needed. That said, we acknowledge we can do more to consistently recognize and support the efforts of our people. - More importantly, we’re a workplace that does not tolerate bullying, and we take such allegations seriously. Respect, inclusion, and professionalism are non-negotiable. If behaviors such as office politics, gossip, or exclusion are being felt, we want to understand and address them. Leadership is expected to be visible, accountable, and approachable—if there have been gaps in that experience, we are committed to closing them. - Our hybrid and remote working policies are built on mutual trust, and we review each request within reason to prevent abuse. We regret any inconsistency in how these are experienced and are working to ensure that expectations are applied equitably across all levels of the organization. If you're open to sharing more, we encourage you to contact us directly at HA-APAC-HRBP@hoffman.com. We are committed to listening, learning, and doing better.

Explore other reviews about The Hoffman Agency

5.0
7 May 2026
Anonymous intern
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Pros

Nice team and enviroment,diversity and equal opportunities

Cons

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3.0
30 May 2026
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CEO approval
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Pros

Flexible working. Smart and capable people you can learn strong skills from.

Cons

Poor work life balance and compensation. High employee and client turnover, which makes it difficult to maintain continuity and long-term growth across teams. In my experience, this is tied to broader cultural and management challenges rather than isolated issues. Support and recognition from leadership feels inconsistent, and there isn’t a sense of psychological safety. The culture feels cliquey and sorority-like, and hearing gossip about other colleagues is common, leading to a lack of trust and low morale.

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