Job description did not cover half of the expectations (hired for my copy-editing skills but it’s really a project management job). Management implemented changes with no notice, no testing for feasibility, and no formal announcements of updated expectations. Updates were typically tucked somewhere in an e-mail thread between people I had zero interaction with, so there were no conversations with my team or clear directives sent out to accommodate changing expectations. Manager would frequently drop changes into a Slack meeting verbally but not back it up by recording the meeting or issuing anything in writing. No accommodation for reasonable breaks to attend doctor appointments, etc. — we weren’t allowed to make up any missed time, or to work a single minute of overtime, and every minute you were on the clock had to be accounted for. Another reviewer compared it to high school, which is quite accurate. Professional adults should be treated with trust and respect, but that’s lacking at KC. KPIs in particular were outdated concepts and frequently hard to meet due to too many variables in instructor reliability. Job ad for contract instructors was sloppily written and unclear; if you couldn’t hire an interviewee you were held accountable, but it wasn’t the fault of anyone on my team that instructors thought they’d have a months-long contract and earn far more money than was possible. On top of that, cold-calling was a nightmare since applicants frequently were unqualified by KC standards or were uninterested once they heard the details. They will threaten to fire you for the slightest misstep — missed one of those updated procedures mentioned above? Missed a deadline because your instructor was unresponsive? Made an error you didn’t even know was an error because there were no style guides or any standard operating procedures? “We’re going to have to let you go.” ZERO stability or security. I spent literally every day in fear that I’d be fired even though I worked hard to master all of the ebb and flow. Speaking of errors, my particular manager would call people out in front of the entire team with no regard for privacy or diplomacy. Not fun to be publicly shamed. I worked there six months before landing something better, and in the year since I left the entire team has turned over (I don’t know if the manager is still there, but none of my teammates are). In summary, VERY high stress for very little pay and subpar benefits.
