Unfortunately the size is also a huge issue for the company. Because it is so small, certain people rise to leadership positions very quickly and allow their titles to cloud valuable input from other team members. While Adfero tries to congratulate that it is a "flat" organization, that is only really applicable in the delegation of work. Mid-level staff often end up taking on work that is above their pay-grade and are told it's an opportunity to "prove themselves" and receive the recognition they deserve, but in reality that rarely happens. More often then not, people are thrust into roles they are not fully prepared for or without the support they need from leadership, therefore set up for failure.
The company's core values dictate that it's ok to fail and learn from it, but when dealing with company leadership that is usually not the case either. Instead, it creates a culture of anxiety and fear around making one wrong move and disappointing a client which could knock someone down a few pegs very quickly.
When dealing with clients, it's very easy for staff to feel that they aren't valued, as leadership tends to undersell the work but then expect people to do a quality job under unrealistic budgets. Capabilities have also been over-promised to clients and then the staff feels the direct heat of learning new skills in less than ideal timeframes.
