Pros
Management will “try” in the beginning. Wolves in sheep’s clothing. Will court you with amenities, special privileges, lunches/ happy hour, etc. There is a 1-2-1 (one on one) meeting where C.E.O. will ask for deliberate feedback after terrorizing you and/or your coworkers. Clear power dynamic is present here and there is always the threat of retaliation if you open up about the abuse which he clearly knows is occurring. There is the appearance of empathy for workers with these meetings, but they serve as a mere coverup. Yet these meetings might work in an ideal workplace.
Cons
High turnover rate due to hostile management. Low morale due to hostile management. Management started a daily check-in system where you must tell him everything you plan to work on that day and what you got done yesterday. It’s extremely indicative of a micro-manager. As opposed to inquiring about progress, manager will stand directly over you and hover for minutes at a time staring intensely at your computer screens while you work. No regard for personal space or manners. Subtly encouraged us to overcharge clients with work that they did not ask for or even need- and reprimanded us for working efficiently (not overcharging them). Pitting co-workers against each other. Would constantly tell people working on the same project- two different things in order to sabotage the work and delay success, another source of his anger. Manager would degrade ideas of employees and then repeat back the same idea as if he had thought of it himself as everyone would look on confused wondering if he believed that was actually his idea. Accountant who handles hours does many of the calculations by hand rather than through a payroll system, so there are constant errors on paychecks. There is also no direct deposit. They aren’t willing to accommodate and have no motivation to switch to the Direct Deposit system. Inability to pay freelancers in a timely and orderly fashion, therefore sabotaging time sensitive projects. Back to 1-2-1’s, you are prodded for personal information about your life- a personal win or a challenge which seem like an attempt to gain information about an employee’s life to tie in their personal lives with the success of the company. “Oh, your child needs braces? You should think about improving your performance so that you can make more money to afford them” Those raises never come. C.E.O. John Tan is grandiose with an intense need to belittle and degrade people to justify his own insecurities. Will speak using excessive and elaborate language in an attempt to appear more intelligent- but clients get overwhelmed and confused. He doesn’t care. This trait is not great for staff either who could be easily instructed with simple direction. The belittling is hard to witness to others and is equally difficult to endure. Constant gaslighting and passive aggression. Deep inability to take blame or responsibility for faults. Deep inability to congratulate or thank others for their hard work.