Company is good, management is toxic - Software Engineer Kantar Employee Review

Nice company to work for

Pay could be better for this role

Kantar has talented employees, well-known clients, and strong research capabilities. I had the opportunity to work with knowledgeable colleagues, contribute to major accounts, support internal initiatives, promote the brand, and share expertise across teams. There are many people inside the company who genuinely care about the work and try to help others succeed.

My experience was ultimately overshadowed by what appeared to be deep favoritism, inconsistent leadership decisions, and a serious lack of transparency. Employees with decades of experience, strong performance records, valuable client relationships, and critical institutional knowledge were laid off in the name of profitability. At the same time, the company continued hiring new people into the same or very similar positions. This makes the claim of role elimination or cost reduction difficult to take seriously. It was particularly disturbing to see highly experienced employees removed, only for the business to spend money recruiting and training replacements to perform work that clearly still existed. In some cases, former employees or people with close relationships to leaders appeared to be brought back, promoted, or placed into stronger positions. This created a clear impression that personal relationships and internal connections could matter more than performance, loyalty, expertise, or contribution. Strong performers who consistently volunteered for initiatives, promoted Kantar’s brand and tools, shared knowledge, supported important client work, and went beyond their job descriptions were still treated as expendable. Remote employees and people from diverse backgrounds also appeared to be disproportionately affected. The overall message to employees was damaging: performance may not protect you, loyalty may not matter, and institutional knowledge can be discarded while leadership continues hiring elsewhere. This destroys trust, weakens morale, and sends the wrong signal to employees who are still expected to give their best.