Toxic Culture of an Agency on the Decline - Anonymous employee FCB Global Employee Review

1.0
Jan 2, 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The most talented and hard-working art directors and copywriters anywhere. The recruiters are seriously doing a great job. Whatever they're getting paid, it's not enough! You will learn so much, laugh so hard, and grow your network when your creative partners inevitably leave for other agencies. The pay is slightly higher than the industry average. But working here will cost you.

Cons

They lost their most profitable clients in 2015 and were unable to win enough new business in 2016. This is public record. Just check AgencySpy. Creatives are stretched thin and are miserable. Newcomers notice the fear and negativity immediately. Some actually throw up on their first day. Many develop ulcers later. Nobody talks about it openly. Account, creative, and strategy are all on different floors making communication difficult and teamwork non-existent. Titles and status are more important than serving the clients and their business. Senior creatives freely dump their own assigned work on juniors and flaunt their right to do so. Communication is one-way with creative directors barking orders at their underlings. It's kiss-up, kick-down. Creatives get no recognition for extraordinary triumphs that win clients or grow business. Instead, they are punished and berated by insecure middle-managers who are threatened by anyone else's success. Everyone is afraid to share ideas. The high-level creative execs jockey for position and back-stab one other for plum accounts. They praise and reward employees who do the same. Everyone is obsessed with their own ranking on their big boss's constantly-shifting hierarchy of favoritism. If you focus on the quality and quantity of your own work, whoever is the current "rock star" will get all of the credit for it. It's no picnic being the "rock star" either. They instantly become a target for everyone else's anger and frustration.

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5.0
Jun 12, 2026
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Pros

great culture, leadership, and people

Cons

work life balance lacks most of the year

5.0
Jun 2, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
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Pros

Great team culture with smart, collaborative people and opportunities to work on meaningful healthcare brands. Leadership is generally supportive, and there is strong exposure to large scale integrated campaigns. Good place to grow creatively and gain experience working across different channels and stakeholders. Fast paced environment that can help you build skills quickly.

Cons

Like many agencies, timelines can move quickly and workloads can fluctuate depending on client needs. Priorities may shift fast

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