Pros
Extremely passionate and creative team, who were supportive and the main reason that I continued working at the company. There are opportunities to do many roles and gain experience, since it is a small team. It allows you to progress quickly (with hard work, a lot of commitment and sacrifice and comes wth little support or reward). Opportunities to travel (if you are favoured and willing to give up personal time).
Cons
Senior management failed to adequately support employees which resulted in the conscious manipulation of hardworking, passionate people at the expense of success and rapid growth - for which, the company was not equipped for. Without HR, senior management operated with poor and often a lack of communication, disrespect for others and a complete absence of responsibility or care. There was no structure, which led to messy and unproductive working habits. As employees, we scrambled to complete tasks against unrealistic expectations, with no reward or appreciation. In my short time with the company, I cannot count the number of employees who have been unfairly dismissed or who have left due to the circumstances described here. This constant upheaval and betrayal had a catastrophic, negative effect on the team’s morale and created a sense of fear and hurt within people. I felt exhausted, having seen and experienced so much hurt, not only myself but in my fellow team members. As an empathetic person, it crushed me to see so many talented, creative and hard working people go through this. Senior management often called negative meetings to chastise and threaten the team into doing what they wanted. These meetings were distressing and often at times when people needed encouraging. It was said that we were expected to give more than was stated in our contracts and that simply coming to work on time and leaving on time was not enough. It was also said that since none of the team members at the time had children, that we were selfish for not giving the company more of our personal time. Towards the end of my employment at the company, I felt undervalued, insecure and unable to competently fulfil the expectations of my role. No matter how hard I tried, I never felt good enough and despite struggling, was always given more. I felt that my willingness and passion was taken advantage of and I had completely lost myself as a person. I finally found the courage to resign (in the midst of a global pandemic). It was a daunting and hostile experience to go through but the best decision that I have ever made for my own mental health and well-being. Still to this day I feel shocked and saddened at how the company have treated their employees. I struggle to understand how they can operate in such a poor way, particularly at a time when transparency and responsibility, or lack thereof, is being publicised and berated within the industry.
