Pros
• Some middle management is good and cares about their people (although they lack empowerment) • Company is solving some real problems for our clients (but execution is poor)
Cons
I've worked in a variety of companies over the course of my career - anywhere from start-ups to mid-size companies to Fortune 500 corporations. Circana is by far the worst company I've ever worked for. • Terrible senior leadership (C-level): In a recent employee survey, senior leadership received low ratings for their lack of visibility, poor communication, and lack of competency. The CEO's response to these results was a self-centered 20-minute video, half of which was spent talking about himself and the other half blaming employees for the survey results. Every few weeks he releases a video that is so ridiculously out of touch with reality, most of the employees have completely stopped watching them. “Makes me sick,” “gross” and “out of touch” are all phrases colleagues use when referring to these videos. Lastly, one of the senior leaders, in particular, is an authoritarian, toxic micro-manager, extremely cancerous to the organization. Everyone jokes that the person running the company isn’t Kirk, it’s this guy. He leads by fear and intimidation. • Innovation and strategy nonexistent: Circana's approach to innovation is simply copying competitors' actions. They try to replicate "industry-leading" features, which are often already implemented by competitors and sometimes nonexistent. The internal teams tasked with building these features face massive challenges due to the outdated technology. Despite branding itself as an innovative company, Circana fails to instill a culture of innovation in its operations. • Archaic and unusable tech: The software, touted as "industry-leading" and "intuitive," is despised by clients and internal teams, who just suck it up and deal with it because their feedback never goes anywhere. Innovation is hindered due to technical challenges, forcing teams to come up with makeshift solutions to genuine problems. Valuable client feedback is a rarity, and disconcertingly, some people within the organization, particularly at senior levels, have attributed the issue to clients' supposed inability to grasp the software, rather than acknowledging its flaws. Even with "Complexity to clarity" as our newfound motto, our tools continue to baffle even the most seasoned clients, underscoring the pressing need for improvement. • Toxic culture: The culture at Circana is atrocious. There is a severe lack of job clarity, leaving employees confused about their responsibilities. Quarterly layoffs are a common occurrence to present a positive bottom line to private equity companies. Constant team reductions and increased workloads create a perpetual sense of unattainability and frustration. Senior leadership, including some who report to them, speak to their employees in condescending tones and lead by intimidation. Overall, Circana is an archaic company with some senior leadership exhibiting extremely toxic behavior. Seasoned professionals who take pride in their work should avoid wasting their talents here.
