Management is from another era. You need to play golf and wear a tie to work every day to get ahead. The place has more executive assistants and fewer women in management roles than the Sterling Cooper agency from MadMen. Cronyism is rampant. Executives are frequently “cross-trained” via promotion or reorganization into leadership roles over functional areas in which they have no experience, training or expertise. This leads to a talent exodus within departments where this occurs. Executives are very much removed from day-to-day operations – you will generally find them at the airport, in the air, or earnestly meeting with each other. This is not to say that every member of the executive team is incompetent or out-of-touch, instead, the talented execs have learned that challenging the status quo is detrimental to their careers.
Strategy changes on a regular basis. New initiatives are launched with much fanfare and wither away with barely a whimper. A product management function is sorely lacking within the organization.
Salaries are less than competitive, particularly for employees on the East and West coasts. The performance review, goal setting and bonus award processes are more obtuse than the U.S. tax code.
Workloads are high and you must be very efficient to manage demands. Because you may have a high level of ownership and investment in your work, be prepared to think about it, a lot, even when the office is closed.
Travel requirements are also unusually high across most areas of the company. A premium is placed on face-to-face meetings which seems simply archaic in today’s world. Much of the travel is wasteful and unnecessary.
