Poor leadership, favoritism, uneven workloads - Anonymous employee Monks Employee Review

2.0
Apr 13, 2023
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Remote work, good benefits (health insurance, unlimited PTO within reason), nice, smart people

Cons

Leadership, specifically brand, is very poor. brand coordinators are thrown into the deep end with little to no mentorship and are not given the tools they need to succeed or learn and grow within the advertising industry. the brand team also does not advocate for the internal team at all and let's clients do whatever they want even if it means working weekends, working against unrealistic timelines and developing creative that doesn't reflect the talents of our creatives. The pay gap between employees in the same role is extremely wide. salaries should be based on performance even if it means one person is accelerating at a faster rate than someone else as opposed to "years of experience" and being able to negotiate a higher rate just because you can. Favoritism of certain employees is very apparent. There are employees that are mediocre at their jobs and yet keep getting promoted while everyone else works their butts off and may not even get a raise. Certain accounts require way more work than others causing the people who work on those accounts to be severely overworked, while people working on lighter accounts get to breeze by. Clients/Work is frankly quite boring and doesn't foster much motivation or creativity. The lack of processes/no use of tools like Asana or ClickUp makes this agency super disorganized and chaotic. We really need concrete processes, so people aren't left to just "figure it out". The lack of PM tools makes it nearly impossible to accurately track time spent on projects and staff projects correctly. Even though we have entry level all the way up to directors, the way the agency is structured is very flat. So even if you're a mid-level employee you may not have the opportunity to provide mentorship to anyone below you or there may not be anyone below you.

Explore other reviews about Monks

5.0
Jun 29, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

It's been such a pleasure, joy and fresh air to work here. I'm respected, as is my work life balance.

Cons

Leadership hasn't always been consistent with their words and actions, making it feel scary and tumultuous at times.

2.0
Jul 10, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

At the time I came on board, EPs were paid well. There are good departments there, like the post department run by Andrew Bell.

Cons

I was interviewed for a staff EP role. After months of interviewing and scheduling delays, I was a final candidate...and then Monks had a hiring freeze and loads of layoffs. It was weeks later they said I should come in as a contract EP. Then, they promised a client something they've never delivered before, and I was lucky to be the person on the team who had actually done it before. But Monks gets in their own way, with antiquated agency hierarchy. Account Managers and Creative Directors are given great governance even if they don't know how to do the job. They disregard production, as if EPs are out to undermine them. They believe EPs are now allowed to be the creative leads, even if they don't have skill or experience to do their own job. There are no thank you's when you save them or solve their problems. Upper Management is useless and absent. You have to sort out how to get things done. Onboarding is non existing. No recognition is given to those who actually did the work, because Monks execs will take it as their own, even if they were absent throughout the entire campaign. Essentially, the main reason why it's a turnstile with layoffs and quitting (even today in 2026) is due to lack of organization, respect and kindness. Even the recruiters are awol and out to lunch. They can't be bothered to return calls. Clients seem unaware, which is another issue because somehow Monks continues to get client work despite the internal turmoil. Inside there is favoritism, clique behaviour, overabundance of bureaucratic unnecessary systems and management hires that are ill equipped to lead...especially at the very top. Kids deal with clients. Elders are those who never really mastered good leadership. It was a very disappointing run with Monks, and many former employees and contractors still have a bad taste from their time spent there, including me.

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