Creatively rewarding studio. - Digital Designer immediate future Employee Review

Team members are supportive and genuinely care about each other. I learned a lot from them. I had the chance to meet and work with the Associate Director who has since left the agency, she was the best leader at this agency.

I would strongly advise anyone considering working here to think twice. In my opinion, the management, particularly the Managing Director, fosters a toxic work culture. It was my experience that leadership in the past year has been disorganised, unprofessional, and engages in workplace gossip instead of supporting employees. Myself and others have experienced bullying; it is commonplace, and there is little regard for employee well-being. Contracts AND policies have been changed in the last year, and communication about the changes has been very poor. The lack of structure and empathy led me to severe stress, negatively impacting my mental health to the point where medical intervention was needed. This company does not value its employees and should not be in business. If you care about a healthy work environment, fair treatment, and job security, I strongly recommend looking elsewhere.

During my five years at the company, I mostly enjoyed a strong sense of camaraderie with my teammates. The collaborative atmosphere and support within the core team were the most rewarding aspects of my role, allowing us to deliver creative and effective solutions for our clients. I also took great satisfaction in mentoring and coaching the team I led, helping them to grow in confidence and develop their skills. I believed there was potential for business growth, but in my experience, this could only have been realised if certain behaviours within the leadership team had been addressed and a more supportive and trusting environment had been established.

From my perspective, persistent burnout had been a significant challenge, particularly among long-serving and senior staff. I often felt that the senior team members operated in "protective" or damage limitation mode, which left little room for innovation or proactive action. Despite my five years of service, I often felt that my input was undervalued, particularly by one leader, with decisions being undermined or complained about. This contributed to what I perceived as a "damned if we do, damned if we don’t" dynamic, where taking initiative was met with criticism, yet inaction was seen as a lack of proactivity. In my experience, the lack of clear career progression and the broad, undefined nature of my role led to feelings of stagnation and frustration. I also observed communication gaps, particularly around staff development and changes in roles. I felt that some individuals in leadership positions displayed toxic behaviour, which I believed was damaging to team morale and, in my view, was enabled by other leaders who failed to address these issues. Additionally, just before my departure, I became aware of contract amendments and policy changes that, from my understanding, were not effectively communicated to staff. This has left employees vulnerable to reduced income or even investigation by HR if they become unwell, which I find concerning.