Egos run wild. High pressure environment -often for the wrong reasons. Rampant favoritism. Some obnoxious personalities in executive/upper management. Low pay. Below industry standard. Is the juice worth the squeeze? I didn't think so. Abysmal work/life balance. 15 to 18 hour work days. Employees are treated like a possession and boundaries are nonexistent. '24/7 seriously' is a real thing. They mean it. Thankless long hours and frequent unnecessary 'fire drills'. No path for career growth for most. More often than not, promotions are rewarded bad behavior. If you've been there for 2 years with no raise and no growth, hightail it out of there. Really. Pay raises are few and far between, even when you check all the boxes and perform above expectations. They do not bat an eye at mass layoffs and pay cuts. Word of advice: do not expect severance compensation if you are laid off. Not much training to speak of. On-the-job learning, but be sure to not make ANY mistakes! (see above) For those in client leadership roles/account management: imposed limitations make it difficult to entertain and 'woo' clients (ahem - limit 1 drink per day). Understandable for employees, I suppose, but borderline embarrassing to cut off clients. Don't exceed the per diem or 1 drink rule, or expect to pay out of pocket. Benefits are average at best, and as compared to other Omnicom agencies, benefit subsidies are poor. The employee funds most (I want to say 95%, or more) of the premium cost. For families, it's a bum deal. You get the cost efficiency from getting to be part of the large Omnicom group, but I wouldn't call it a true 'benefit' at the ZADV level. Good specific question to ask before accepting an offer - what will be the pre-tax withholding. It can take a significant bite out of your net pay. The good news? If you're laid off, COBRA won't be nearly as steep as you thought it would be. ;)
