Traumatic experience, look elsewhere - Communications Consultant Barabino & Partners Employee Review

Everything about this experience was horrible. I was based in the New York office, which consisted of only 4-5 people, including the "CEO," who insisted on being called that despite the office’s small size. The CEO of Barabino & Partners USA, Marco Lastrico, from northern Italy, was an incredibly insecure individual who regularly belittled those he perceived as beneath him. He frequently made racist, sexist, and misogynistic comments. He would even make sexually inappropriate remarks about former female employees and laugh as though it were acceptable. This behavior created an uncomfortable and toxic atmosphere, and not only was he aware of it—he took pride in it. Lastrico micromanaged obsessively. He would hover silently behind employees as they worked, scrutinizing every detail until he found something to criticize. Every email had to be read and approved by him before it was sent out. Even phone calls or minor decisions required his approval, wasting significant time and delaying productivity. Paradoxically, he would reprimand you whether you sought out and waited for his approval or acted independently—a classic "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation. His tone and approach were consistently aggressive, rigid, rude, snobby, combative and even passive-aggressive. Employees were required to arrive precisely on time, as he would show up 15 minutes later to ensure everyone was at their desks working. He even demanded fake, cheerful morning greetings to stroke his fragile and insecure ego as he entered the room. Male employees were required to wear ties and blazers daily, despite the office’s tiny size, and it felt absurd because we were essentially dressing that way just for him, we never had any visitors or went anywhere. He also enforced bizarre, unnecessary standards, such as organizing computer desktops to his liking, and monitored employees' emails without their consent. Lastrico’s behavior was discriminatory. He forced employees to change their names to sound more Anglo-Saxon, requiring us to present ourselves this way in all communications, including on business cards. It was degrading on so many levels. He seemed insecure and obsessed with making the company appear as "made in America" as possible. Additionally, he lacked any understanding of American business practices, labor laws, or workplace culture. We had no tech stack or tools to work with. One of his so-called "strategies" for growing the social media accounts of our clients was to simply follow competitors' followers, with the hopes of them following our social media accounts back. A time-consuming and mainly ineffective practice. He misrepresented this to clients as if he had innovative tactics and technology, but in reality, it was jus a simple and dishonest way of getting a few more followers. The pay was poor, provided only at the end of the month (a European norm, whereas in the U.S., employees are typically paid weekly or biweekly), and there were absolutely no benefits. The absence of an HR department made reporting his behavior impossible, leaving employees vulnerable to his misconduct. Lastly, Lastrico’s attitude toward clients was blatantly two-faced. He only treated "important" clients with respect and would suck up to the actual CEO, Luca Barabino, doing everything to gain his approval and admiration. He expected us to show him the same reverence so he could take credit for being a "great" boss, reinforcing the toxic dynamic. In summary, this job was a nightmare. The combination of poor pay, no benefits, a toxic work environment, and Lastrico’s unacceptable behavior made it unbearable. This experience has left lasting effects on my professional life. Working here has given me severe PTSD, and it has been a struggle to adapt to other work environments where employers are actually good. I strongly urge others to avoid this company at all costs.