I was at Yankee for over a year and although I loved my friends I was scared every single moment of it. I was scared of demotions, lay-offs, public embarrassment and sexual harassment because I saw it every single day. Ultimately I hope this helps you make an informed decision going into marketing or sales.
Environment: VERY old school 50’s sexists mentality - toxically competitive. Company motto “don’t reinvent the wheel”. Sales was bad but marketing was who you’d find crying in the bathroom. No looking at your phone and expect personal conversations to be addressed publicly in team meetings. Verbal abuse goes unpunished.
Salary + Pay: Marketing makes $20K under the industry standard. Sales have insane commission caps (just ask). Know that if you take a company trip and decide to leave for any reason after (like moving or accepting a new job) you will be forced to pay the company back several thousand dollars.
Sexual Harassment: This is such common knowledge that we’d joke about it in front of management to cope. Official complaints were called “gossip” and were punished without concrete evidence. Detailing how Yankee handles sexual crimes will trigger/disturb some so I won’t go further, but yes perpetrators are still at the company today.
Raises: Comically unlikely. I had friends with the company for over 5 years that were denied raises every year. Your manager will tell you, you have to “fight for it” - any other company will recognize and reward you for your hard work.
Layoffs: (Before COVID) were very regular throughout the year & created this intense atmosphere of fear. Management would NEVER warn people when it was coming or tell you why it happened. People would go home for the weekend and simply never come back. It was a consent “who’s next, me?” concern from my very first day to my last. Some people just never unpack their desk or make friends as a result (understandably).
Growth: DEMOTIONS are common! I’ve never seen this at any other company but saw it multiple times (sometimes to the same person) at Yankee. People who were amazing at their jobs. Promotions come at a cost. Management puts two employees up for the same promotion and have them actively compete for several months. I’ve never seen a woman win. This ultimately creates resentment and destroys friendships, trust and comfort in the office. I believe this is why leaders have allowed managers to yell and verbally abuse each other in front of us, they caused it.
Work-life balance: you’re a workhorse now, Giddyup! Sales were bad but nothing compared to marketing. You are not allowed to look at your phone during working hours or just catch up with co-workers. There was no such thing as “downtime” because of the unrealistic workload and looking relaxed had consequences.
I truly hope this helps you make an informed decision. It is better to know now, than after you sign on the dotted line.
