- Mom n' Pop shop trying to be a bigger company
- Poorly established company hierarchy structure
- Reactive, not proactive, towards pretty much everything
- Using outdated technology
- Don't value key contributors
- Don't value or push for growth or are unaware/oblivious as to how
Managers unfortunately suck up to any/all owners' wishes and are disconnected from staff since they're too busy managing clients. They can't train new project managers since they're too busy with their own clients while also trying to manage company workload. This is less than ideal since staff are great and (mostly) do good work but company doesn't know how to identify good/poor workers or how to move forward with making people better through training and investing in staff. This leads to many issues down the line as good analysts get stuck with poor project management which affects company's bottom line and deliverable deadlines...but who is to blame?! Company is solely interested in, and persistent with, keeping client relations good and content so they keep getting paid.
No clear path for upwards mobility, this just isn't a thing here. Annual reviews with decent pay raises if company/managers trust/like you. Redundant work with outdated software. Skills applicable elsewhere are few unless you actively pursue and apply them yourself. Currently, and for the past few years, they've been understaffed and have had inexperienced project managers, which leads to project setbacks and many other issues, due to high turnover rates. This has been a trend for 6+ years.
All the best people have consistently left. No one sticks around for more than a few years yet company has failed to notice or just ultimately aren't concerned with this. Those that have stuck it out are paid more however what else? The company doesn't have a plan for them. I'd advise to them to seek new waters which provide something better than just a paycheck which will help propel their careers for the long haul. Those who have gotten out and have stayed in touch are much, much happier.