Think very carefully before accepting a job here - Account Director The River Group Employee Review

1.0
31 May 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Some incredibly talented people and good client projects. Due to the staff turnover, there are opportunities to progress as positions become vacant.

Cons

River is one of the most toxic places I have ever worked. I, like many others I know, had heard the reputation of the agency before I started but decided the opportunity was still worth it. I wish looking back, I had listened more to people's first hand experience. The agency it absolutely rotten to the core and will drain any enthusiasm, motivation and confidence from you. The blame culture is disgraceful and the response to any negative feedback is that you don't work hard enough or aren't up for the challenge. It's ridiculous, people regularly work to breaking point. The board think they are addressing the 'issues' with various initiatives based on wellbeing but these have little impact on a culture that is so poisonous and led from the top.

Explore other reviews about The River Group

2.0
12 May 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Nice people working at River, unfortunately we all hate our jobs

Cons

- Incredibly toxic, worst SLT imaginable. everyone says that the CEO is a women hating bully and it's been witnessed first hand. No one respects her. Managing director is fake and will be kind to anyone's face and seem like she cares.... she doesn't.

1.0
12 Feb 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I can't think of a single thing.

Cons

Costs are wildly out across projects as the senior management want to keep them as low as possible so they win some business, with the added complexity of not knowing how to cost anything that isn’t print so you end up trying to deliver projects with no support, no brief and no hope of success. Failure is baked in. It’s never them, it’s always you. Urgency is embedded in everything but it’s not a virtue - it’s leadership in panic. If everything is urgent nothing is important. It’s not in my nature to write something as visceral as this, but it needs saying. No other agency I have ever worked at functions in this way. My advice would be to swerve it at all costs.

2
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