I worked at IQPC and found the environment to be the very definition of micromanagement. Leadership frequently requested updates on tasks to monitor productivity and dictated seating arrangements to ensure visibility, often listening in on calls. Staff were instructed to make calls from the open office floor, rather than meeting rooms, to enable constant oversight.
As a Marketing Manager, I had to seek approval for every partner and project I wanted to pursue, along with a detailed justification of budget usage. Despite being allocated a budget, I was not given the autonomy to manage it independently. Leadership, without a marketing background, often operated as though they were experts in the field, despite lacking real marketing knowledge. Any suggestions or ideas were typically met with, "We do it this way here."
During catch-ups, I was routinely handed long lists of bullet points to execute, making me feel more like a coordinator than a manager. The importance of exhibitors, a key aspect of events, was often dismissed, with management asserting, "No one comes to meet the exhibitors."
After four months of probation, I was informed—just one day before a major event—that my role was no longer required. A Senior Marketing Executive was hired to take on what was essentially a marketing director role. This left me questioning the credibility of job titles and the company itself.
The working environment was especially toxic, particularly when compared to my previous experience at RX Global, where remote working was standard, and there was a strong culture of trust and autonomy. In stark contrast, IQPC’s culture revolves around control and micromanagement. Over the last four months, five new hires joined the team, and only one remains—indicative of the high turnover and difficult work culture.