With ratings this low (2.0 at the time of writing), think twice about joining this factory outlet store
Pros
I've met some of the most inspiring individuals during my time here. ALL seniors here have magnetic personalities and know how to command an audience. They're doing a decent job at painting a picture that the firm is doing very well (e.g. MD recently won a regional award for outstanding work).
Cons
They'll tell you it's a great place to grow your career. They'll say some folks have served 10-20 years at the firm. They'll even say they've launched a few initiatives to promote flexible working culture; that they've hired a HR lead to improve company culture. But don't make the same mistake so many others have made. A rating this low goes beyond a few disgruntled employees. The HR-led initiatives have only led to superficial enhancements. You can't cure skin cancer with a bit of makeup. Yes, some people have spent 10-20 years here. They’re mostly on the senior bench. They know the ins and outs of the company and like any company, they're the ones you need to strike a great partnership with. Any senior hire outside of this cohort typically has a tough time. In my one year here, I've seen multiple leads leave (one within 3 months of joining). It's pretty clear when a lead starts getting ostracized by their fellow colleagues. Some of them were brought in to give the firm a new offering besides PR, and instead of collaborating with them, you'd hear murmurs from the oldies, "I saw her proposal and she clearly doesn't understand PR. We're going to get so *scolded by the client. I'm just gonna let her run it since she put her hand up". Collaboration? Anybody? I've seen a new lead come in full of life and energy, but ended up getting ridiculed for her enthusiasm. There's high-turnover rates. And then there's Weber's turnover rates. By my estimation, 19 people left the firm in one year. There have been more since. More than half of these were mid to senior level, quite a few were new hires, and quite a few were acrimonious departures. Most of these were after the supposed HR "improvements". Around the office, you'll hear from the leads that these guys weren't good enough. My opinion? When so many of the people you hire leave (rapidly I might add), maybe the problem is you. The market can't possibly be filled with so many low performing talents. I've personally experienced a very dismissive and unappreciative culture from the very top. I've seen instances of name-calling and fat-shaming in the office. I’ve seen interns cry ever so often (check out intern reviews below). There’s no culture of collaboration among the top, so don’t expect them to be collaborative with their teams. A discussion with my lead is usually 95% her talking and 5% you trying to say something. Unless you enjoy monologues... On an industry level, PR is on shaky grounds. But of course, they wouldn't want you to know that. Clients are slashing their budgets, and quality graduates are choosing other, more exciting career paths. We hear it all the time of interns deciding against pursuing a career with us. Weber's solution? Go for volume. In my opinion, they're accepting way too many jobs that come their way. A lot of these are jobs with tiny budgets. The firm isn't even structured to handle these types of work/clients. But it doesn't matter to mgmt as you're going to make it work while they lead their cozy lives (aka #gymlife). It's not uncommon to have 6-10 very active clients per person here, or that the office is half full at 9pm. I've had instances where leads tell me they need a proposal done urgently, that something's just come in, only to find out later they've been sitting on it for weeks. "It is what it is," I often hear. In my opinion, their feigned ignorance of the stresses they put their teams through is really the reason why they have the lowest review rating I've ever seen for a company. Push back and you might get questioned about your time management skills. Take it on and you might be called out for any dips in the team's quality, despite flagging it beforehand. Oh, and you'll also be warned about your timesheets if your logged time is too high. It's not explicitly mentioned, but there's a tendency to misrepresent your hours to keep the top brass happy. There's really much, much more I could say, but you get the gist. Whether it’s poor management or structure, it’ll be a bad environment for most people. Why would you take a chance on such a poor environment, especially within an industry that's already in a state of flux? The collective reviews here do mean something. It means you're better off looking elsewhere... anywhere really...
