Great teams and opportunities overshadowed by dysfunctional management
Pros
There are excellent people at Voice Media Group doing meaningful work but the management culture significantly damages the employee experience and makes it very difficult to thrive. Working with my direct coworkers in my department side was especially positive, as many people were engaged, creative, and truly invested in producing strong work. Colleagues were supportive, collaborative, and made day-to-day work more enjoyable, especially during high-pressure projects and tight deadlines, and added some camaraderie in face of our collective daily struggles to work effectively under what was universally considered among staff to be the most unorganized, unprofessional, demeaning and stressful manager/s any of us had ever experienced or worked under in our respective industries.
Cons
Overall, the biggest challenges came from inconsistent leadership, poor communication, and a lack of professional structure. Instructions were often delivered through rushed shorthand emails full of typos, vague expectations, incomplete details, or long streams of fragmented Google Chat messages filled with emojis and all caps. Priorities and deadlines frequently changed without warning, and asking for clarification often led to criticism for not understanding quickly enough, while trying to interpret unclear direction independently often resulted in blame for misunderstanding. Management behavior was often passive-aggressive and unprofessional, including public criticism, talking down to employees, mocking staff, and discussing other employees behind their backs. There were no reliable systems, standardized processes, or clear organizational frameworks in place, which created constant confusion, last-minute deadlines, unnecessary overtime, and burnout. The work itself and many of the employees were strong, but unstable middle management and fear-based leadership made the environment tense, unpredictable, and difficult to succeed in long term. The lack of accountability from leadership made these issues even more frustrating, as decisions and instructions frequently changed or were later denied. Employees often felt the need to document conversations and meetings simply to protect themselves and keep track of shifting expectations. Instead of creating alignment and support, management often created confusion and distrust, making it difficult to feel secure in decisions or confident in long-term success within the role.