Job is for some, but not all. - SEO Manager Halstead Media Employee Review

2.0
28 Jan 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good pay rates Fully remote job

Cons

- Toxic Micromanagement at every level by leadership - Leadership openly admits to manager level employees they rather an employee quit, so often they will “help” that process along by making work uncomfortable, and this is a huge con and a red flag. - too many hats have to be worn at all times by both management and delivery teams, leading to unnecessary head butts between employees just trying to do right by customers. - ratio of project managers to delivery team is unsustainable, leading to inevitable missed opportunities and client experience mismatch. - toxic work environment perpetuated by owners - unclear expectations, until the expectations are made clear only after being berated by leadership that have morphed and changed day to day hour by hour minute by minute. - management accuses delivery team of not matching deliverable standards, while when questions or expansions of those deliverables needs a finite or line level training, employee must pay out of pocket for training for taxed payroll income reimbursement - or leadership defaults to “I guess I’ll just do it” and never really does. Leading too poor results and further berating by leadership.

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Halstead Media Response
3mo
Hi, thank you for taking the time to write a review. We’re sorry your experience with Halstead didn’t meet expectations. We want to address a serious point directly: we do not try to make work uncomfortable to push someone to quit, and we do not tolerate disrespectful communication toward employees or vendors. We operate at a high pace with high standards, but those standards must be paired with clarity, support, and professionalism. For accuracy, your employment with us was brief (under three **weeks**), which limited the opportunity for full onboarding and longer-term context on our team structure and workflows. (you incorrectly noted you worked here for years), It also became clear very early on that there was not an alignment between the role’s expectations and the working style needed for it to be successful. This role requires comfort with evolving search technologies and modern local/organic strategy. Working for an agency, after being self employed for 24 years, can be challenging, so we wanted to give you time to adjust. Even so, we take feedback about clarity of expectations, workload, and leadership communication seriously, and we continue improving training and internal processes as we grow. We want every person on our team to feel supported, motivated, coached. We take our team members' happiness and success very seriously. We will keep improving and working on that, always room for growth! We appreciate your perspective and wish you the best moving forward.

Explore other reviews about Halstead Media

5.0
27 Oct 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great management & talented team Good benefits Training opportunities & lots to learn from day to day work Interesting work Remote & flexible hours

Cons

Sometimes challenging to have a good work life balance during busy season. Small teams.

1
5.0
6 Oct 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

A supportive and encouraging team across the board. Lots of opportunity for growth if you put in the work. Perks - snack allowance is always a nice treat, the vacation time is awesome. It is also a rich learning environment, we are encouraged to do trainings, there is a budget for tools/books/courses, and we also get an office supplies stipend. What's not to love about all of that?!

Cons

This is a fast-paced environment where we all expect each other to show up and chip in. If you want to relax the day away, H isn't for you. We are all busy bees here. One of the reasons I do love it here is because we all show up and help out. Everyone is always ready to jump in.

1
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Halstead Media Response
7mo
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience! It’s wonderful to hear how supported and encouraged you’ve felt here. We are enjoying seeing you grow within your responsibilities and continue to take on new challenges with confidence and creativity. Your dedication and positive attitude make such an impact—thank you for being an important part of the team.
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