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      Directive

      Engaged Employer

      Directive reviews

      2.8

      33% would recommend to a friend

      (151 total reviews)
      avatar

      Garrett Mehrguth

      36% approve of CEO

      30% positive business outlook

      Ratings by demographic groups

      Directive has an employee rating of 2.8 out of 5 stars, based on 151 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Directive employee rating is 25% below average for employers within the Media & Communication industry (3.7 stars).

      Reviews by job title

      151 reviews
      2.0
      Nov 20, 2023

      Not worth it

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Good pay, great benefits, cool clients (if you're into SaaS), nice colleagues except for several in senior leadership.

      Cons

      It's hard to know where to start. Every single negative review here is true. Some more incensed than others, but each one is based in fact. Working for this company is not worth the $ and senior leadership's (CEO) alleged 'personal' values are not reflected at all in management of the company. His toxicity as a person spreads to other senior leaders that might otherwise be kind and reasonable people, but are forced to stoop to his level to keep their jobs and stay in his good graces. I am not usually one to engage in things like this - I had my experience and moved on - but this culture is so beyond toxic I felt it my duty to warn others, both prospective employees and clients. I personally witnessed verbal abuse in company town halls and in more private circles. I'm talking truly shocking language and interactions. People are hired and fired at a whim if they no longer fit the constantly changing business plan or the new initiative of the month. My mental and physical health suffered greatly due to this company and I can say the same about colleagues (some that still work there) that I keep in touch with, although I do not purport to speak for them. I could go on with many, many examples, but that sums it up.

      avatar
      Directive Response
      2y
      Thank you for your feedback about your experience working here. As a company, we like to innovate, and that creates change. In the last half of 2023, the changes made helped our team deliver better results for our customers and allowed the employees of Directive to be happier! A few of the changes made were: a reduced client travel requirement, a change to the QBRs we provide for clients, and the addition of a new service offering for a different size customer. To service our new customers, we hired new people to not overload our current employees working on other accounts. There is always room for improvement and we appreciate your feedback.
      1.0
      Dec 10, 2022

      Snake Oil

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      • Competitive pay • Some smart people at the lower level, though many have left or on their way out

      Cons

      • Major decisions made by the CEO who has never worked at an agency and touts his ideas as if they’re hot and new (they’re not) • You will be yelled at by senior leaders, with no apology when they realize they’re wrong • They majorly max out capacities and tell you to outsource your work with no resources in place • Bring concerns to senior leaders and you will be gaslit and blamed, with no efforts to fix the issue (then it’s your fault when it comes to a head later) • Constant change in direction/processes with zero concern for how it impacts the overstretched team • They don’t care one bit about their people or clients, only the bottom line.

      avatar
      Directive Response
      3y
      Hello, I really appreciate you taking the time to share your feelings. Our employees can get very passionate about their work and how we serve our people and customers, but it is never ok for anyone to feel like they're being yelled at. I hope you know that I genuinely care about you and your experience. I'm always available, or anyone else from the People Operations team, if you'd like to talk more. - Mel Dale, Head of People Operations
      1.0
      May 6, 2024

      Welcome to the Grindhouse

      Strategist
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      - "unlimited vacation" - Nice, smart people to work with - Healthcare is a nice positive - Revolving door of strategists/managers so you'll constantly get to meet new people

      Cons

      - You will be overworked to death, burnout factory. Garrett mentions "work work balance" consistently in office hours with some odd sense of pride that work is the end-all-be-all for your life - Little to no resources, Garrett laid off all our specialist support and increased all the SoWs so much that you need to work 50 hours a week in order to stay afloat. Where is the help??? We are all drowning - Completely unprofessional attitudes from executives, it starts from the top down. I've personally witnessed the CEO belittling the team and managers to the point that it was downright abusive - Sexual harassment from Garrett that was swept under the rug. No amount of "fighting the narrative" can fix your poor actions and the way you treat your employees - Processes change all the time & more things get added on to your plate. - You'll have to get used "figuring it out!" since Garrett doesn't like "processes" or educating the team. The CEO has little respect for any of his employees because in his mind "everything can be done in 5 minutes" or he is the "only one who can do it right" - No career opportunities or training. Very little support for managers - Constantly changing SoWs with little guidance on how to get all the things done

      avatar
      Directive Response
      2y
      Working at a digital marketing agency can lead to burnout, especially when you’re as driven and ambitious as our team is at Directive. We try to avoid that outcome, by capping the maximum number of clients an employee can simultaneously work with, and by monitoring workloads and utilization every week. But despite that, we also recognize that in a rapidly growing, service-driven agency, there can be times of increased work that may disrupt work-life balance. We care about the well-being of all of our employees and are always working on solutions to provide better support and resources to our teams. We also take the respect of our employees very seriously, and believe no one should ever feel belittled, taken for granted, or abused. As the Head of People Operations, I assure you my team and I have never received a complaint of sexual harassment about a member of our executive team. And if we ever did, my team and I would investigate the matter fully. I am always available if you would like to discuss any of this further, or you can reach out to a member of my team.
      Viewing 10 - 12 of 151 Reviews
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      Glassdoor has 164 Directive reviews submitted anonymously by Directive employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Directive is right for you.