Professional exposure but toxic culture and poor management
Pros
Role provided early-career exposure to a professional environment Health insurance, retirement, and ~7 paid holidays Paid bereavement leave and team showed genuine personal thoughtfulness during difficult times
Cons
Management allowed employees to mock a former veteran intern — including printing and hiding photos of his face around the office Senior ownership was present in the building daily yet practiced deliberate social exclusion toward certain employees — ignoring them while openly greeting others — rather than addressing issues through direct communication Disorganization started at interview stage — manager missed my interview and I received no communication about start time despite multiple emails and calls. Arrived on first day to locked doors Team meetings regularly devolved into gossip about other staff members Cliquish office culture that isolated employees who didn’t participate in gossip No objective criteria for recognition or advancement, leaving room for personality-based bias and visible favoritism among staff No performance reviews or structured feedback at any point during tenure No mentorship or guidance for junior/early-career employees Work was reassigned without explanation or developmental feedback, which was damaging to confidence High turnover — warned at hire that retention was a known issue Virtually no DEI initiatives or inclusive practices Hybrid position was misrepresented during hiring Significant client losses ultimately led to layoffs of almost half the team
