How the mighty have fallen - Art Director Monks Employee Review

I've been a part of the Media.Monks family for quite some time now, and I have to say, the initial years were a blast! The atmosphere was lively, there were plenty of opportunities to work abroad, the people were fantastic and there were some truly amazing projects to sink my teeth into. However, after the S4 Capital takeover, things started to take a turn for the worse. • People were promoted to higher positions merely due to their tenure and not because of their management capabilities. Honestly, some of the managerial decisions are downright laughable. • The once-vibrant culture has fizzled out. What used to be an office where people worked hard and felt appreciated has now turned into a mundane workplace where everything needs to be done by the book. Facing a personal crisis? No worries, but make sure to enter every detail in Workday (the awful HR system). Want to learn a new thing? Fill in this 27-page form, and be sure to not spend a single minute of your working day on it. • "If we ever start tracking time, this company is dead". A now-famous quote from the CEO from around 8 years ago. Guess what we're doing now. • Employees feel undervalued and under-appreciated. Media.Monks used to be a place where ambition was rewarded, but now it feels like we're just a bunch of worker bees expected to keep our heads down and get the job done. Morale seems to be at an absolute low, people are doing the bare minimum just to receive their pay check. • Salaries have been stagnant since 2020, and every year there's a new excuse for why we can't be paid what we deserve. (2020: Covid. 2021: Covid again! 2022: Our stock price. 2023: Finance+HR screwed things up so you'll have to wait another 5 months!) • HR? They don't seem to be on our side, not even a little bit. • Projects have taken a turn for the worse. Instead of working on exciting campaigns, apps, and content for big names including GAFAM, we're now stuck churning out work for some of the most ethically questionable brands out there (think Dubai, Qatar, Saudi, Robinhood, big pharma/banks, you name it). In short, the takeover has left a lot to be desired, but hey, at least we can still find joy in some of the small things, right? Like the nice weather right now! And, management saying "Hey, they are firing people at Bol.com, so be happy!". (Seriously.) Might adjust this review if the salary increases turn out to be 20%+ next week. I doubt it.