Micromanagement, Poor Work-Life Balance, and Misleading Promises - Marketing Executive The Good Marketer Employee Review

1. On my first day, I was given a laptop that had clearly not been cleaned or prepared, along with a faulty charger. It felt as though the equipment had been handed over directly from the previous user without any care or hygiene. Providing clean, functional equipment should have been a minimum expectation if employees were to feel respected and valued from the outset. 2. Annual leave that I had booked prior to starting the role was almost not honoured due to their ‘no go’ periods between Black Friday and Christmas. This created unnecessary stress and should have been clarified before my start date. Management required lengthy discussions and even asked for "evidence" to prove the leave had been pre-arranged, which felt unprofessional and poorly handled. There was even a discussion about the possibility of me working during my holiday if the leave was not approved. This suggestion felt unrealistic and inappropriate. 3. On my first day, when I met the founder, there was no initial greeting or welcome to the team or company. Although a brief acknowledgment came later, the lack of a proper introduction left a poor first impression. 4. The training programme lasted six months and consisted largely of outdated tasks, some of which no longer worked or made sense. Six months of probation felt excessive, especially given the quality of the training. Training relied heavily on watching videos and going through countless presentations. The expectation was to absorb and memorise a large volume of information, much of it presented in an overwhelming and inefficient way. There was a strong emphasis on following specific processes, but with so much material to get through, retaining every detail was unrealistic. At the same time, employees were given additional tasks as well as their own client work, which made it difficult to balance everything and properly focus on the training. In reality, it often felt more productive to focus on completing actual client work rather than spending time on outdated and poorly structured training materials. Completing the training plan was treated as critical – with the understanding that if it wasn’t finished on time, employees were expected to complete it during their own time, including weekends, in order to pass probation. 5. It was a highly micromanaged culture, where employees were closely monitored rather than trusted to work independently. Time tracking was a point of pressure, with constant questioning about how time was being spent. The use of live time-tracking software made it feel as though every move was being closely monitored, creating an environment of distrust rather than support. When completing tasks, there was often unnecessary back and forth over minor, pedantic changes. Again, this was made even more challenging by the fact that the training consisted of countless presentation slides, making it difficult to remember every single process in detail. 6. The work-life balance was confusing and poorly managed. There was an unspoken expectation to be available during the evenings, with messages and emails frequently sent outside of normal working hours. It made it difficult to properly switch off and created a toxic work-life balance. 7. Meetings were often scheduled during lunchtime, which felt poorly planned and made it difficult to take proper breaks during the day. It would have been more considerate and effective to schedule team meetings in the morning or afternoon instead. 8. We were required to work 8 hours per day, but since breaks were unpaid, taking a standard 1 hour lunch meant being at work for 9 hours — which felt excessive, especially as a 1-hour break is standard in most companies. 9. Employee retention was very low, with frequent departures and dismissals. This raised serious concerns about the overall working environment and company culture. The company’s online videos portrayed a great work culture, but in reality, it felt more like false advertising. Many employees were unhappy, and the high turnover rate reflected deeper issues within the organisation. 10. I asked for support with a task I had been given during a busy period ahead of my annual leave, but no help was provided. As a result, there were unnecessary complications with my handover document – an issue that could have easily been avoided if support had been given when initially requested. 11. During my initial interview, I was encouraged not to let the distance from the office affect my decision to join, as I was reassured that flexible working – with only one office day per week – would be supported. However, once I started, I was told that coming in just one day a week would only be considered after passing a six-month probation. When I eventually requested to work from the office one day per week, the request was declined on the basis that I needed to "build relationships" with the team – despite the fact that, on many days, the office was nearly empty, and I was sometimes the only person there. My one-day office arrangement was eventually approved. 12. Accessing the office was often inconvenient. Frequently, there was no one available to let us into the main building, and we had to rely on buzzing other people who shared the building — which understandably led to frustration. I was even warned not to buzz others again, despite having no other way to enter at times. In my view, all team members should have been provided with a key to avoid this kind of disruption. 13. Lastly, there was no longer an HR manager, so there was no one to talk to other than management, which didn’t seem appropriate.