I will always be grateful for the things I learned, the opportunities I got to participate in and the people I met while working at Peppercomm. The agency had one of the best workplace cultures in the industry and was renowned for being a great place to work in New York City when I started over two years ago. Over the last year, sadly, the people who made it that way have left and the agency continues to move further from the reputation that it once had.
Following an agency-wide split, Peppercomm now operates in full survival mode and is built on broken promises of executive transparency, employee empowerment and innovation. There is no more training, teaching or mentoring. Career development and career advancement have ceased to exist. Employees are not valued as people, they are strictly a resource to be exploited fully until they break or burn out. If you are looking for a team-oriented, collaborative and supportive environment, you will not thrive here.
Peppercomm paints itself as a 22 year old start-up, yet refuses to adapt and update its resources, tools and strategies. Leadership and upper-management still operate as if they are in a 100 person agency and instead of filling the gaps, junior level staff is expected to juggle the work load of 3 levels above them while managers refuse to stoop below their level and get their hands dirty.
In the end, I wish the company and those who are left good fortune, but Peppercomm has a lot of work to do to become something even remotely close to what they claim to be. Do your employees, the ones that are left, a favor and take the time to listen to and address their concerns. You will quickly see that it is not more trouble than it is worth.