Focus is one of those companies that calls itself a family, which in today's world is a huge red flag. Business is never family.
Workloads are high with minimal training. Whispering, gossip, being rude to people, and exclusion tactics are common.
Certain members of senior management have never worked anywhere else, so they have no idea that they are out of touch and that as an agency, Focus falls well behind its peers. Others are incredibly rude, swearing on calls, making terrible remarks about clients (!) behind their backs, and even halting interviews so they can shout at someone walking past or swear at something inanimate.
The teams brag if they 'beat' another agency on a pitch, when in reality, the agencies beating them don't even pay them any mind. Being graceful and professional is not something that even enters the vocabulary at Focus.
Staff turnover is insanely high, but they mask this by promoting internally. The problem here is that most staff are in their early 20s, with very little experience, so they think they are doing really well. If they tried to go somewhere of substance, they would probably really struggle.
Daily reminders of how much money the teams need to make keep the pressure on, with statements like “if you want your bonus you know what you have to do” and “remember that referral bonus” thrown around often. This might be ok if they invested in staff, or heating. There are sad offers of pizza or an alcoholic drink, which apparently are considered more incentivising than fair working hours and appropriate deadlines.
The office is cold as it's essentially a poorly converted barn with single glazing, and there's nothing to do on breaks (if you take them, which most people don't). The car park is hazardous and you get patronising emails about it a lot. You may even spend 30 minutes of your day 'shuffling' cars around so people can leave.
They don't support WFH post-pandemic and staff must be in the office at least three SET days a week. Flexibility isn’t encouraged in any way.
This is not the place for anyone worth their salt in marketing, and could potentially seriously damage someone's mental health.