CMP Media – “The Worst 9 Months of My Life”

Pros

Some nice, really smart people. Good location. Well-read co-workers. Some fun lunches out (pre-recession). Big company with decent benefits. OK about vacation time.

Cons

Honestly, I don't know how l lasted so long here. The first round of layoffs came 3 months after I started and that should have been a warning sign. People who had been there 20 years were just dumped. Some people who showed up before 8 and stayed until past 7pm were let go, but others who came in at 11am and left at 5pm were kept. Made no sense. The whole vibe was kind of one that was outdated and there was an acceptance of screaming as a tactic to motivate people. I honestly have never heard yelling like that in an office before. Management was at best inept, and at worse, cruel. It cured me of ever wanting to work in publishing again.

Advice to Senior Management

Try to at least pretend like you care about your employees. If you have to lay them off, at least don't humiliate them in the process. Figure out who does the actual work, before you do the layoffs.