There were many.
After a couple of months at thee company, I knew that there was no chance for advancement unless my more senior co-workers left. I should have seen this during my initial trial period with “trial pay” that I was forced to extend beyond the 90-day mark for silly internal training based reasons. My hunch was verified earlier this year as I watched my previous coworkers maintain their same position within thee company, followed by the mass company-wide exodus.
Thee “family” based culture is also forced upon you in a self supporting manor. Most of thee events are thrown as a social platform for thee CEO to show off to his friends. They are held after-hours and you will not be paid for them.
It is also extremely difficult to present new ideas and have them heard out. I distinctly remember one client meeting where I presented a new idea for a client and the CEO told me “that if you want to keep your job, then it is best if you never bring it up again.” All of this because I recommended a link removal strategy to help combat thee awful internal link building strategies. At that point I continued to comment spam so that I hit my monthly quotas.
Trust was also a major issue at the company. It was exceedingly difficult to get a day off or have time during the day for the doctors. The fingerprint scanners and the extensive micromanagement made for a suffocating working environment that stifled creativity. Understand the mold, fit the mold, become the mold.
The unpaid maternity / paternity leave was also a sore issue. We were not expecting at the time, but there are plenty of other companies in the Triangle that easily provide this. Plan ahead as best you can with your family.
I also found that management’s ability to show respect for a person’s decency was often overshadowed by a person’s revenue potential. There were a couple times where employees would tell our receptionists “to act like a good girl and throw away my coffee for me. “ This and similarly demeaning language led to a couple of same day walk-outs, and thee CEO failed to appropriately reprimand the offending person time after time. The environment was sad and toxic.
