Pros
You might work on some really great projects. You can do interesting work, but Hattaway does things so specifically (and convoluted) that it won’t be transferable to future positions.
Cons
Clear the president, unfortunately, cares more about schmoozing questionable clients than those that work on the projects. In a small team, he rarely engages about anything other than “coaching” which is a nice way of saying "condescending and hypocritical advice”. The company's focus on DEI is a marketing ploy and used in proposals but lacks any real substance on projects or when it comes to being challenged about thoughts or ideas. Hattaway has always struggled to keep employees, but even during this great resignation the company has denied wage increases (and lost employees) denied promotions where they are due (and lost employees) and repeatedly failed to address the low, low staff morale. Respectful and effective internal communications is non-existent ironically for a comms firm. Speaking with current and former employees it's clear the company's aspirations (especially with regards to DEI initiatives) have never become reality. In a small company people are expected to just go directly to those they have issues with, which leads to tension, unresolved issues, and many junior, new, or less confrontational staff to have nowhere to share their thoughts and concerns. When told something isn’t working, the normal response is defensive and something like “well it’s worse at other companies”. (Hint: It’s not always.) In response to the "small group of employees" who were labeled as toxic, it's likely they were pointing out the real issues that senior-level employees were paid too much to be bothered by. Most don't stay beyond one or two years, and that's just because it takes about a year to even figure out the company. More and more the company hires people early in their careers, treats them like workhorses, and then is shocked when they leave. It's unfortunate that the company focuses on client growth rather than investing in their people - which will hurt them in the short term and the long term. Advice to new employees: if you want to stay at Hattaway long, learn to have a thick skin and not care as much about the type of work environment you're in. Be ok with lower salaries compared to the industry and a company culture that makes taking time off hard.