Great environment but poor team management issues - Junior Designer Annette English + Associates Employee Review

I worked two years full time at AE&A as an intermediate interior designer before leaving to pursue other career aspirations. Above all things, it was a safe and comfortable environment to show up to work every day. Having worked at previous firms where the management ran the firms with an authoritarian hand (borderline sexual harassment in many instances), it was a blessing to be able to wake up everyday not only unafraid to head into work, but looking forward to it. My relationship to the entire team very much felt like a second family to me because the culture was built on encouraging self-development in one another. The firm would schedule fun company-paid "team outings" from brunch to pottery classes, and even sky-diving. The firm's founder and owner, Annette, has an open-door policy and she was incredibly kind and generous with her flexibility and willingness to listen to staff suggestions and concerns. I never felt afraid to approach her to discuss anything. When I felt overwhelmed with a full-time schedule and a lengthy commute, she was so receptive to my thoughts and feelings - and allowed me to modify my schedule on a trial run. She was so generous as to even sponsor me for a weekend self-development seminar course in Culver City that truly transformed my outlook on life. I've never worked for someone who cared enough to invest so much into my personal growth. In terms of design work, there was always plenty of interesting ongoing projects that ran the gamut of high-rise condos, major remodels, and new builds (while I was there...collaborations with renown architects like Landry, Paul McClean, and Studio William Hefner). There was a lot of variation in design aesthetics project to project, which meant that was always an opportunity to learn and grow as a designer. 401K matching.

Accessible street parking around the office was difficult to find (especially on certain street sweeping days). Often times had to park and walk from over four blocks away.

None. Not worth your time.

I worked at AEA for a little more than a year as a Senior Designer. I had a difficult time feeling inspired during my time there. Annette lacks creativity and imagination and got most of her ideas from other big name designers (Stephen Gambrel and Joan Behnke) and even copied their work to the tee. I found Annette to be timid, cold, and extremely passive aggressive. Annette is a bully. She’s fake. She’s unprofessional and emotionally unstable. She treats her staff like they’re replaceable but expects them to work their butts off. Vacation hours accrue monthly but if you request time off, she holds it against you and gives you a cold shoulder. If you do something Annette doesn’t like, expect a snippy email from the part time accountant (a heavy set woman in her 70’s and a very unhappy person). All of her employees are miserable and the office is a depressing place where no one greets each other and people work quietly with their heads down. Annette didn’t seem to care too much about the company morale or the well being of her employees for that matter. Her lack of leadership, insincerity and condescending attitude created a toxic work environment and I was happy to rid myself of this place. Also, the office has very poor ventilation and the summer was brutal but staff wasn’t allowed to turn the air conditioner on because of how cheap Annette is. Tip: If you do decide to take a job here, make sure you verify employee benefits during your interview and get it in writing. If you don’t, Annette may not offer it to you later. It depends on whether she likes you and wants to invest in you. Very shady person.