TM Advertising – “Fairly typical ad agency culture -- be prepared to be overworked and under-appreciated”

Pros

Decent pay, good benefits. At one time, the company was a great place to work compared with most agencies. Promotion within one's department is appropriately achievable. If you're male, you will enjoy more career opportunities than you will if you are female.

Cons

Typical cutthroat environment. No ability to make lateral moves within the company. If you have a desire to learn a different discipline and move to another area, you'll have to find somewhere else to work. Not a very woman-friendly company. Former Exec. Creative Director is known to have stated that "women can't be creative."

Senior management made some amazingly bad decisions during my tenure -- leaving a memo on everyone's chair overnight about a pay decrease; asking employees to temporarily relocate to visible empty cubes so that the company would appear more successful to visiting potential clients; chairman/CEO hosting a catered lunch served by tuxedoed butlers in the open atrium while newly laid-off employees carried out their belongings in boxes.

Advice to Senior Management

Introduce compassion and humility to your management style. A little common sense wouldn't hurt, either. Encourage career growth outside one's current job title.