Work life balance is awful. The hours are really long and it's got worse over the last few years. Sometimes you get lieu days but only if you have done a big project. There's no respect for life outside work.
There's a big issue with the senior management in London which some of the other posts have mentioned. It's laughable that the agency runs the He For She campaign. It's all about He For He here. If you are a woman above Account Director level, don't work here. Work here as an AE or AM and get your promotion to AD and then leave.
The CFPA team (corporate, financial and public affairs) team in London is not a good place to work if you are a woman. There are about 10 senior men with big egos and 2 women (and they are busy having babies which the rest of the team can't relate to). There were more senior women but they have all left recently. There are no female associates to look up to.
The PA team make lots of sexist comments all the time. They think it's funny. It's not. There are not many women on the team and it can get uncomfortable. If you complain about the comments you are told it's just banter. It's like working in a rugby club. I've read the post about the U.S. digital team using the interns as a dating pool. It's not like that and I don't know anybody who's had that problem here. It's just comments that men think are ok when they aren't.
There is a group of men who all do international work. Nobody really knows what they do. Last year one of them had to tell us in a team meeting what they did to justify it. All I know is they think they run the place. They are rude to junior staff and give the good projects to the male Account Managers which is so annoying for the women who all work really hard. It seems if you suck up to certain men you get good projects. They are never in the office, or arrive late, go to lunch all day or fall asleep at their in the office. Yes really. It's just not motivating if you are in your 20s.
