Unpaid Labor is the Norm - Landscape Designer Confluence Employee Review

Cool projects. Lots of trust between the team

Lack of transparency, unclear career advancement opportunities

Great landscape architecture projects and co-workers.

Confluence is a “Good Ol’ Boys Club” workplace culture, a system where a dominant in‑group (mostly older men) protect each other, avoid accountability, and expects newcomers to maintain the same unspoken rules. This culture rewards silence, loyalty to the group, and going along to get along, even when wrongdoing is involved. There is a pattern where leaders minimize problems, dismiss concerns, and protect each other from consequences. Leaders downplay issues “It’s not a big deal”, redirect “Let’s not make waves”, or soothe without solving “We’ll keep an eye on it”. Loyalty to the group matters more than ethics, fairness, or performance. So unless you play their game, you have little chance to make it into the leadership track.