Toxic workplace - Anonymous employee Davis Employee Review

1.0
Mar 14, 2018
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The only good thing about this place is the location.

Cons

Davis is the most TOXIC workplace environment I’ve ever experienced. PLEASE BE AWARE of the three FAKE positive reviews that were all written, in haste might I add, on the same day (3/13/18). This was done in response to a potential employee asking about the negative reviews on Glassdoor in an interview. This candidate is one smart cookie and did their homework. They saved themselves from the misery that they would certainly have endured working at Davis. All of the other reviews are telling you the honest truth and providing a clear picture of the type of place Davis truly is. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t see these Glassdoor reviews before I accepted a position at Davis. However, I did become aware after working there that they had an extremely high amount of turnover. When I asked questions about this, I was given unclear answers and brushed off. I got the impression that I was being lied to and I was right. The turnover rate is so high because they constantly fire people, and many times for no legitimate reason. I just wish I would’ve listened to my intuition and quit when I first noticed things weren’t right. So here are the facts: 1. You will be underpaid (especially if you are a woman). 2. If you don’t like to drink excessively or gossip about people, you will be ostracized and probably fired. If you’re not an obscenely loud and boisterous person, you’ll probably be fired. The gossip you will hear about former employees and clients will leave you feeling disgusting. It’s so unprofessional to talk about people the way they do, but it’s accepted there. Word to the wise- don’t tell them ANYTHING about you. If you do, you’ll be the next person they gossip and laugh about endlessly after they fire you. 3. You will always be given projects/assignments at the very last minute possible, because management doesn’t manage the workflow well, which will cause you to work excessive amounts of overtime. As a result, management won’t appreciate your hard work and will likely fire you. I’m serious. 4. You won’t be trained for your position or properly managed. They will probably fire you for this as well. 5. Davis is run by “mean girls” who think everyone loves them but the reality is quite frankly the opposite. Employees play the game and pretend to like management but only to keep their jobs. They know if they don’t, they’ll be fired. 6. Junior level employees are all hardworking and mostly nice people. Management, on the other hand, is the biggest problem Davis has. They don’t know what they’re doing. They hire and fire on a whim. They treat their employees horribly, especially the women. All of the junior level employees are working under extreme stress because they don’t know if they’ll be fired next. It’s truly awful. 7. Everyone in a management position lies. Please don’t ever assume that you’re being told the truth about anything. 8. Davis is a very sexist workplace. It definitely isn’t safe for minorities or women. You’ve been warned. I know how difficult it is to get a job and a position at Davis can look appealing, especially if you’ve been searching for a job for some time. But listen Linda listen, only accept a position at Davis is you truly hate yourself and thrive in misery. You will seriously regret it. Save yourself from the drama and stress. Trust me, something else better will come around that’s actually worth your time. Best wishes on your job search!

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Davis Response
8y
Let us start by saying that we appreciate your candor and for taking the time to give us feedback. Hearing from past employees helps us to improve as an organization, though it's not always what we want to hear. However, there are 30+ people working for Davis and it is unfair to say that anything positive is "fake." We do have many entry-level positions that pay the same, no matter the gender of the employee that fills it. Entry-level positions are available to folks that have little-to-no experience in the field and are great roles for people to get their feet wet and to learn the ad business. We also like to promote from within, when available, and hope that as we continue to grow that this will open up more opportunities for our existing employees. Our teams do work under tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment, and this type of environment is not suited to everyone and why we prefer to hire people that already have ad agency experience. We are working hard in 2018 to better set the expectations to new hires and to do more formal, regular reviews for existing employees. Again, thank you for the review and we hope that we can continue to improve in 2018.

Explore other reviews about Davis

5.0
Jul 19, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great work environment, love it

Cons

Nothing bad to say about it

1.0
Jun 5, 2025
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The office is a block from the beach

Cons

I’ve never worked at a more toxic and negative environment in my life. The only positive reviews on here are probably a few current employees that got told to write them because their turnover rate is that high. There is zero leadership or structure, just a micromanaging CEO that knows your every single move. Working long hours and through holiday weekends is expected because the CEO does. Zero onboarding or training, but if you don’t do something to their standard or have questions you’re made to feel stupid. And because there is no structure, you won’t even know who to talk to with said questions. HR is non-existent, it’s just the CFO who took it on. Management could care less about you as an individual outside of the work being done and everyone internally is genuinely mean to eachother. Multiple colleagues have admitted when they started that they went home and cried for months. These reviews are not ‘disgruntled old employees’ …they are all absolutely true experiences and you need to listen to them. And to anyone feeling stuck there, know you don’t have to live like this!

3
avatar
Davis Response
12mo
We were very surprised and disappointed to read your review, and we’re sincerely sorry to hear about your employment experience here at Davis. Because your comments seemed so at-odds with our workplace culture, we took each of your concerns quite seriously. In fact, we immediately initiated confidential, one-on-one conversations with every employee to see if others had feelings similar to yours. We asked them specifically about the issues you raised – including our onboarding process, leadership support, team behavior, workplace culture and work-life balance – and what we heard in response was quite the opposite from your experience. We know we’re not a perfect workplace, but we do everything we can to make it one, and we'll never stop trying to improve. Our workplace culture is built on collaboration, creativity and respect, and we’re proud of it. This work and this industry are not for everyone. But our employees stay with us for an average of 5.25 years, and for many, it’s that fast pace and unrelenting creative and client-service standards that they love most about working here. We certainly have high expectations of our employees, and yes, they occasionally wear more than one hat, stay late or work after hours – not because they’re forced to, but because they want to do great advertising work and satisfy their own high professional standards. Additionally, our CEO and management team have an open-door policy. Asking questions is never discouraged here. It’s how we all grow and learn, and it's one of the most important things we tell new employees to do. We’re truly grateful for every person who has come to work at Davis, but we understand when it hasn’t been the right long-term fit. That seems to be the case here. Hopefully, you’ve found a workplace more aligned with your own standards and professional preferences, and we wish you all the best, wherever your career journey takes you.
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