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Crain Communications

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A sad decline - Journalist Crain Communications Employee Review

1.0
Aug 9, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great people in the trenches -- smart & dedicated. Great office location. Decent salary.

Cons

We went from having excellent benefits to having almost everything taken away, to the point where I can't understand why anyone under the age of 50 would want to work here. We had a pension plan, AND a profit-sharing plan, AND got a Christmas bonus. Now? NOTHING. Honestly I don't know of any reputable employers who DON'T offer a retirement plan. Except for Crain. The young leadership -- 3rd generation, you know what they say -- is ham-fisted, has communications issues, seems to lack vision and deals with problems by a) laying off rank and file workers; b) cutting benefits; and c) hiring even more bureaucrats, adding to the incredibly bloated upper leadership, non-content or revenue-producing staff and shielding themselves from having to take blame and/or address problems with true leadership.

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Crain Communications Response
8y
Thank you for your candid review. As you’ve noted, Crain has changed some of our benefit offerings to our employees to grow revenue, and align us better with a highly competitive marketplace. While our reward programs have changed, they are now geared towards the goal of organizational success, where Crain will continue to share profits as its primary retirement plan contributions, as it always has in the past. Crain has always offered a voluntary savings program for retirement savings and will continue to do so. Moreover, Crain invests in employees in a variety of ways: flexible work environment, potential to earn bonuses based on individual and company performance, a generous PTO program, career development opportunities, participation in a variety of internal award programs, and community support initiatives, just to name a few.

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5.0
Jun 4, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Leadership Opportunities – You often lead event planning teams, coordinate vendors, and oversee event execution from start to finish. Creative Expression – The role allows you to design memorable experiences and bring unique event concepts to life. Relationship Building – You develop strong connections with clients, sponsors, vendors, and stakeholders. Project Management Experience – Managing budgets, timelines, contracts, and logistics strengthens valuable project management skills. Career Growth Potential – Experience in senior event management can lead to positions such as Event Manager, Director of Events, or Operations Director.

Cons

Heavy workload during peak seasons – Certain times of the year may involve coordinating several events simultaneously. Difficulty maintaining work-life balance – The unpredictable nature of events can make personal scheduling challenging.

3.0
Jun 22, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Strong Brand: Pensions & Investments remains a highly respected and trusted name in institutional financial media.Valuable Data: The underlying proprietary data and research products are high-quality and genuinely sought after by major institutions. Colleagues: The day-to-day editorial and sales teams are incredibly dedicated professionals who care about the product.

Cons

Short-Sighted Restructuring: In late 2025, management aggressively cut experienced, human-led enterprise sales and account management teams in a bid to force a "digital transformation" and pivot to AI/automation. Complete Operational Breakdown: The reality of this pivot is a mess. By replacing dedicated human contact points with generic support inboxes and broken "self-service" portals, high-value corporate clients are being completely ignored. Systemic Carelessness: Months after the layoffs, former employees are still receiving voicemails from furious institutional clients who cannot get a hold of anyone at the company. CRM records and phone lines were left unmanaged and orphaned. Flawed Strategy: Management optimized for internal cost-cutting without considering client retention. Enterprise clients pay premium prices for white-glove service, not a black-hole automated ticket queue.

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