Where to start...?
- Fear, blame and sometimes public humiliation culture. I have seen too many people break in tears, being shouted at and abused at in front of the whole team and even contractors, or because they are given impossible tasks with impossible deadlines and made to feel utterly incapable if they mention how huge the task is.
- On top of being fairly self-centered, the 2 founders have paranoid instincts and think employees are plotting against them, which leads them to making assumptions about some personal conversations you have with your colleagues (later asking you what you were whispering about). Obviously any email you send has got to cc the whole wide world, too. Never experienced such palpable tension in an office.
- Expect to work long hours, be made to feel you're still not doing enough, and not well enough, and be told to work even more outside office hours. Seen so many people work late in the evening, or on weekends. Compensation of any kind, even a tiny thank you? Forget about it too.
- You job title and description means nothing. You'll end up having to do whatever's on the CEOs' mind, and if it's not in your remit, well just do it.
- Salary is really low. True, this is still a small company (although it probably wouldn't be anymore if they'd treated employees right and didn't have that crazy turnover), but I've also been shocked to hear that some people got their salary drastically decreased if they were not performing well enough (again, according to really shocking standards).
- You can be as creative and hardworking as you want, you'll end up not exploring your potential. Any new recruit is being made to feel exceptional and above the others for a month or until a new person joins, and then you're just part of the herd.
- Your personal life means nothing. Pregnant? Expect to start receiving emails questioning your skills. Getting married? Be made fun of, because, that's something the founders see as too old-fashioned. Family member terminally ill and you need some time off to spend with them? How about we fire you on lousy grounds, or refuse the time off saying this is a bad excuse and work is too important.
- Benefits? Let me see. No pension, no healthcare, minimum time off, no paid overtime. Yup, nothing!
This company is ten years old, and is not keeping employees for more than one year and after much drama(and that's already a miracle). It's not growing because it's still not understood treating employees right (or just, decently).
Don't jeopardise your career, your personal life and sanity: stay clear!
