Pros
I felt the need to weigh in because the reviews for M+R are not matching up with my experience at all. There are a lot of pros to working at M+R: -- There is a union! Unions are great, and the union at M+R just secured an incredible new contract. The union also shifts the dynamic in the workplace so your coworkers are your comrades instead of your competition. -- The pay is good and competitive with similar agencies, thanks to the new contract. There is pay transparency and a no-negotiation policy, so you never have to wonder if you are being underpaid. -- There is a clearly laid-out pathway to promotion, and multiple chances per year to be promoted. Lots of senior management are folks who started as associates and moved up, so it's not hard to see yourself moving up. (This may vary based on the area you work in though.) -- Good benefits, including lots of paid time off, including time that is explicitly for mental health. -- You can work from an office, work from home, or do both. M+R will also compensate you for things like your internet bill and allow you to expense office supplies, lunches, etc., when you work from home. -- THE PEOPLE! The people are great. M+R has a top-notch staff of smart, creative people who want to make the world a better place. -- The work is fun, fulfilling, creative, and challenging. You will not be bored. You will stretch and grow. -- Management is honestly good, particularly compared to other workplaces I've experienced. They are thoughtful about feedback. There are a lot of different types of leadership at M+R, including some people who are truly trailblazing with the compassionate way they lead, and I feel supported by management. When I have had any issues, they have been proactively and quickly resolved, and I honestly do think most of the people in management want everyone to be successful and feel valued and happy. -- They are seriously trying to be more inclusive and equitable both in their work and their own operations. It's an ongoing conversation. No workplace is perfect, and there is still room to do better, but they are still trying and being held accountable by staff to show progress whereas most workplaces maybe had a workshop in 2020 and then crossed it off their list. The have a new senior leader solely dedicated to moving the needle for racial justice & equity, and she is great! -- I feel appreciated, nearly every day. There is a Slack channel dedicated to recognizing your colleagues for great work, and it brightens my day when someone sees my efforts. I came from an environment where I didn't get much feedback unless it was negative, so this is one of my favorite parts of working for M+R. I rarely have to wonder how I'm doing, because people tell me. I have never been part of a workplace where colleagues email your direct supervisor just tell them that you did something awesome, and cc you on it, so you know how valued you are. It is a wonderful thing to be seen, and an even more wonderful thing for people to see you AND lift you up in front of the people who can promote you. -- M+R has really cultivated a fun, quirky, progressive workplace culture and I just like signing onto work in the morning, I enjoy and appreciate the people I work for, and it's one of the best places I have worked. I read the negative reviews before accepting the job offer from M+R and was nervous about it. What if they were right?! But if you are here right now and unsure after reading some of these reviews, rest assured that it is worth taking the plunge. Accept the offer, and judge for yourself. You may find, as I did, that you love this job and this workplace.
Cons
That said, even though I cannot relate to a lot of these negative reviews, not every workplace is the right one for every person. Here are some cons: -- The pace is fast, the issues we work on are tough, and that is not for everyone. -- Time management can be difficult, because there's a lot of work. If you don't have good time management skills coming in, you may struggle to stay afloat. -- There are A LOT of meetings, both external and internal. If you are very meeting-averse, this is not the place for you. -- The expectations are high and employees are expected to perform at a high level, pretty early on. That can be stressful, and I'd imagine it's even more stressful if you are just out of college or don't have a ton of work experience. -- There's a steep learning curve if you are new to agency work, particularly as it relates to tracking your hours throughout the work day (so clients can be billed.) Time-tracking in particular may be a hurdle for some folks, so if that sounds like a nightmare to you, perhaps keep looking. (Though the new union contract makes this a bit more flexible.) -- The structure can be a little confusing, and you will have a lot of supervisors. There is only one supervisor who oversees your overall performance and professional development, but you will have supervisors on your account teams as well. So, depending on your role, you might end up with a boss and one or two grand-bosses on each account. I am not bothered by this, and I have never had nine bosses coming to talk to me about my TPS reports, but depending on your disposition and how you feel about supervisory relationships... you might not dig this part of the job. -- This sounds like a contradiction of the thing I just said, but you will also need to be fairly autonomous and able to keep yourself on task without a ton of oversight. If you struggle to get things done if someone isn't watching you, you will struggle, because you're expected to be able to manage your own time and tasks without someone peering over your shoulder to make sure you're working. I like this, but some people might not. -- Because there is a lot of variance in leadership styles and personalities on teams, employees at the same level with the same number of accounts can have totally different experiences at M+R. Every account honestly has its own team culture, and your experience can vary a lot based on who you work with. You can move accounts if it's just not a good fit, but it can take awhile. -- They are still working out some kinks with training people brought in as Account Executives and Account Supervisors. -- You may feel out of place and/or old if you are not a fan of Taylor Swift. (People are REALLY into Taylor Swift.) Overall, though, this is probably not a good job for someone who is new to the workforce or doesn't have a ton of working experience. You will need to hit the ground running, you'll need to come in with some decent skills.