There is a very apparent glass ceiling in the company's marketing department caused largely by blatant favoritism. It is a very uncomfortable feeling having to step in and work under those conditions due to the secrecy, and backstabbing the awkward scenario brings about.
Due to that clear sense of favoritism, brilliant people in the marketing department are always pushed to the wayside whether it be for opportunities or their ideas. You are never made to feel like you have agency or involved in the decision making process because of the politics.
The CEO makes rash and unreasonable decisions based on his feelings at the time, so just like the proverbial box of chocolates, you never know what version of him you are getting when you step into the office each day.
God forbid you catch the CEO at a time where he is aggravated by any given issue (ranging from a typo in an e-mail, to nitpicking over his hotel reservation) and you will be privy to one of his public outbursts in the office. Even when you think you are safe from his scrutiny because you are not part of his executive management team, he manages to surprise you - but not in a positive way!
The CEO maintains personal relationships with a few of his employees, making it a difficult situation since you always feel like you need to watch your back and tread very carefully in your approach and actions, as it is guaranteed that you will always have a set of eyes and ears following whatever you do.
Trade shows (while arguably not resulting in higher sales) are just a glorified way for the CEO to go on tax-deductible vacations. While the CEO wants the moon and the stars for his company’s presence at these shows, he is unwilling to fork out the big bucks that are usually associated with industry events. Instead, you are tasked to work with an impossibly small budget and cut corners which usually do not yield the results which please the CEO. Notice a catch 22? Anyone with the misfortune of attending trade shows is also forced to lug large bulky suitcases with the heavy booth properties in order to penny pinch and reduce costs.
During my time at the company, my position shifted in responsibilities and I was expected to absorb a higher level coworker’s responsibilities without a raise or change in job title. I felt extremely undervalued for my skills and that feeling is mirrored by many of the employees who have left the company for better opportunities.
There is noticeably high turnover at the company due to how unstable of an environment benefitsCONNECT has created. I do not see this fact changing anytime soon because it has been a long time problem that many people have tried to address in the past.
There is no sense of professionalism or discretion in the company as a whole. There is often a lot of gossip or chatter airing people's dirty and private laundry - while entertaining at times - can be unsavory and distasteful.
The company has been in the red for a few months and is facing some financial struggles, but again there is no level of transparency in the company so employees are left unsure about the future of the organization.
