No work-life balance, cut-throat competition amongst teammates, outdated technology, managerial power is unlimited and largely unchecked, little to no investment in employee growth or progress. On top of all of this, they refuse to face these issues head on and make a change and instead choose to dispute the claims of former employees on Glassdoor in petty responses that insinuate the former employee to be a liar. (Example, a former employee stated they were told an analyst job was offering $40k in Chicago, and HR replied here to say there was no such offer. However, I was told the exact same salary range of $40k to $45k when I applied for that same position, which is why I took a different position with the company in the long run. Clearly this person was not telling a lie.)
The culture is a very "work hard don't play at all" culture that they disguise by offering in-office holiday parties with beer/wine and snacks and by repeatedly stating that they have great work/life balance. A lesson learned from this was that if you have to repeatedly state that you have great work/life balance, you don't have it. For perspective, if I left at or near 5, I got a note about how I wasn't dedicated to the company. You're expected to work 8am to 6pm minimum on almost every team, regardless of whether or not your workload demands it. Up until I put in my two weeks' notice, I felt I had to be in the office an hour early and leave a minimum of an hour late. I started just sitting at my desk, messing around until my boss left at 6:30 or 7 just so they wouldn't be upset. Then, I would take my laptop home and leave it on until I went to bed so that I would be able to answer any emails that came through. I took my laptop on every vacation I took while employed at Ipsos, because my manager's expectation was that I was never not "on." Overall, it's the epitome of what you see in think-pieces every week: you're chained to your laptop and email, and if you even mention your personal life or interests at a happy hour or while brewing coffee in the break room, prepare to have it used against you to show your lack of dedication.
