AsiaOne Reviews

Respectfully, please come back down to planet earth. Management is way in over their heads about the company's place in our media landscape. A frankly embarrassing culture of thinking too highly of oneself when clearly they're nowhere near their counterparts. Higher-ups (especially the CEO) publicly and unabashedly 'trashtalk' competitors with such unprofessionalism depriving employees of any learning opportunities. It really is inferiority complex at its finest. Behind the CEO's cringeworthy 'work family', 'home away from home' preachings is a shocking lack (mayhaps absence) of self awareness. No employee actually buys into this ridiculous narrative though it hasn't once been called out. Most are probably quietly judging and others are using it to their advantage to work their way up. If he were anywhere 'on trend' (as the company's tagline would say), he would have known that calling the company a 'family' is the biggest red flag in any workplace. Unless he believes that he's 'off centre', of course. And that brings us to career progression. Again, the CEO micromanages all aspects of work down to pay increments. Where is HR you might ask? We're wondering the same. Incompetence is rewarded with unwarranted promotions. Competence and hard work are met with even higher expectations communicated as 'not doing enough', 'asking for too much', 'still needing to prove onself'. The CEO despises pay discussions amongst colleagues while blatantly revealing details of other employees' pay during individual apparaisals as a means of justifying increments that are less than the bare minimum; breeds a culture of unhealthy competition by pitting employees against each other, before swooping in as 'mediator' when tensions arise. (Almost like he secretly enjoys the drama.) He will not hesitate to put down teammates in private conversations as if to imply that he holds you in higher regard than said individual, or so he believes. In reality, all it does is reflect poorly on his leadership and the company culture. When management's done having their head in the clouds, maybe the company can get somewhere.

The whole structure is like a sinking ship, and the only saving grace is a handful of managers who can lead but are not given the right support.
 There are a few credit-hogging managers. They take credit while their teams are the ones doing all the heavy lifting. Favoritism is practically written in neon lights. Some lucky souls get to bend the rules and enjoy special treatment.
 KPIs? Forget about it. The goalposts are on a perpetual vacation, making performance reviews a circus. 
 Now, let's talk about our CEO. Delusional is an understatement. While the rest of us see the value in being friendly with other media agencies in the industry, this guy's convinced we're the kings of the jungle and everyone else is a threat. Newsflash: nobody else is buying into that fantasy. Most people at the company believe that getting along with other companies will help us grow in the industry. Leaving this joint is like escaping a mafia clan. Management can't stand it when someone finds a better opportunity, as if we owe them our firstborn for the privilege of working here.
 And here's a pro tip: watch your back. There are a few snitches lurking around, cozying up to the boss and reporting your every move. It's like high school drama in this gossip mill.
 Lastly, if we want to be taken seriously in the industry, can we please stop trying to be a jack of all trades? Everyone in this company likes using the term "accredited media" to boast about their status in the industry but with the number of news sites in the country...that's not as big of a feat as they think it is. No one takes the company seriously as they want to be a mix of a gossip site, a lifestyle site and a news site.