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Crain Communications

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Crain Communications reviews

2.8

39% would recommend to a friend

(292 total reviews)
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KC Crain

45% approve of CEO

39% positive business outlook

Crain Communications has an employee rating of 2.8 out of 5 stars, based on 292 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Crain Communications employee rating is 25% below average for employers within the Media & Communication industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

292 reviews
1.0
Nov 1, 2019

If you need the experience

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Summer Fridays - leaving at 2 pm on Fridays between Memorial Day & Labor day.

Cons

Many managers are in positions for the simple reason that a friend moved up the ladder and put them in their role. My manager says things like, "I just didn't know the difference between x & z" when someone who earned that title would absolutely know the difference. Micro-management is the name of the game at Crain's. Managers are intimidated and/or afraid of experienced employees so the micromanagement seems like a way to keep those people under their thumbs. If you hire an experienced professional, let them use their experience. Isn't that what you hired that person for?? This leads me to the next con - this crowd actively practices age discrimination. An adult candidate with experience is presented along with a just out of college, no experience candidate. The one with no experience will be brought on because, "I don't know how he would take feedback because of his experience". Sales people are lazy, going for the low hanging fruit versus actually looking for new clients. It's enough of an issue when other sales staff warn about certain individuals. Yet they run the show. They buddy up to managers & if a sales person doesn't like something, run to their buddy to complain. I've seen people get fired over non-existent slights that a sales person "doesn't like". If you're starting out & need the experience it's a place to start. But if you are an experienced professional that does not need to be micro-managed and is capable of doing your job, keep looking. Crain Communications will be a major disappointment.

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Crain Communications Response
6y
We believe our managers are a vital part of the organization's success and provide training opportunities to educate them and give them to tools to motivate and engage our team members. It's disappointing to read your manager was not as equipped to lead as desired, but we'll continue to add more training and tools to continue to meet the needs of our talent.
3.0
Apr 28, 2019

Not what it used to be

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Definitely the people - the best in the industry! Top-notch journalists and those who have spent years with the company are huge assets of historical knowledge and provide a whole other level of understanding needed to push forward to evolving the business.

Cons

There has been a noticeable decline since the youngest generation of the Crain family came into power. Executive leadership has been empowered to move the company to the modern age but much of them have limited brand experience and consequently don't fully understand the issues each individual brand faces. Instead, brands are lumped together and cookie cutter solutions are pushed on them. The best talent has been laid off with virtually no knowledge transfer making it incredibly difficult for new people to come in and thrive.

Viewing 73 - 75 of 292 Reviews

Glassdoor has 320 Crain Communications reviews submitted anonymously by Crain Communications employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Crain Communications is right for you.