Waggener Edstrom Worldwide Reviews

Pros

The people I work with are among the smartest I have ever worked with. I have really been able to grow my career here through exciting global work. I have also felt recognized and acknowledged for my hard work on an on-going basis.

Cons

This is a very fast paced environment and that can be exhausting at times. The focus on quality and continuous improvement which is one of the best things about working here is also at times one of the things that can contribute to the fatigue.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep growing and developing the vision and keep the focus on our great people. Continue to be transparent with communication about our direction and future.

Pros

Really great people. I learned a lot and felt very inspired. Loved that the company spends time and money to help both locally and globally.

Cons

Too many hours. It was too hard on my family. Could be just perfect for someone in a different situation.

Advice to Senior Management

Rewarded managers for being good managers. The success and satisfaction of the people who report to a manager should be how they're measured.

Pros

Benefits, ability to work from home

Cons

Overworked. NO transparency on any issue. So many meetings about "Influentials" that have no bearing on the ability to do better my job.

Every team spends unreasonable amounts of time updating, drafting, creating, editing influential materials, but for what? Client's ask for them, and they don't read them.. And what's the point of wasting time having meetings to discuss influentials....there are far too many meetings on this topic. Still trying to figure out what people are gaining from these meetings. If someone owns that relationship, reach out to them. It's a waste of vaulable time to have over 4 hours of meetings a week on this topic.

Advice to Senior Management

Senior management talk in circles. Lots of talk about solving problems, and repeat conversations about finding solutions, yet nothing is ever fixed. VPs set up meetings with "lead" groups, yet they don't share information that is unique or different than what is shared in the larger group meetings.

Stop telling people that it's okay to ask questions unless you are prepared to actually answer them. Providing PC and vague responses are continuing to increase negative moral.

Pros

Great senior management, and place to launch PR career. Superb resources for personal and professional growth. Collaborative environment, fast paced, great benefits.

Cons

Be prepared for long hours and a shift in work/life balance for the worse. A very process oriented company, it will be difficult at times to have direct impact with your creativity.

Advice to Senior Management

Best practices and processees are good, but there needs to be a greater openness to creativity, and implementation of new methods. More collaboration across teams.

Pros

Now more than ever WE is a remarkable place to work. Because it is privately held the company, we feel like we have a significant air cover. If you show up to WE everday and do your best work - YOU will be rewarded. No matter what happens to the economy I feel supported.

Cons

WE still has a heavy dose of PR in it's DNA.

Advice to Senior Management

Talk the talk, walking the walk. To talk about integration is one thing. To be intergrated is another.

Pros

great and smart people, global opportunities, leading clients, strong ideas about how PR/strategic communications is evolving and mapping to changes. personal accountability is key if you want to succeed.

Cons

long hours, sometimes difficult clients, not all managers are willing to take the time to mentor or communicate as necessary.

Advice to Senior Management

Remember to listen to the "worker bees" as they have valuable insight into the needs of clients from a relationship perspective. And while large teams are sometimes necessary, think about how to create better efficiencies within each team -- there is a lot of overlap and unnecessary "reviewing" happening.

Pros

Good medical/dental benefits. Good vacation time. This sometimes keeps people around who are miserable. There are still some decent, hard working people left.

Cons

Where do I begin really? Senior management is a joke. No real business plan or projection. Layoffs that they try to sweep under the rug in true PR fashion. VP's who roll in at 1030 and are out by 2. Recognition of hard work is rarely given. The business is struggling and has been for he past few years. Old-timers who don't know how to evolve with the industry. Overuse of the term digital when most of them don't even know the meaning of the word. Account team are hired straight from the sororities. Turn over is a problem. Lack of competence in growth potential within the digital world. The list goes on.

Advice to Senior Management

Educate yourself. Learn how to comprehend the basics of digital. Don't take credit where credit isn't due. Know how to speak and LISTEN to your employees.

Pros

Great people, professional development opporutunities.

Cons

Cubicle environment and opportunity to travel to different offices.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep employees involved in vision work.

Pros

The people are awesome. I've made many friends at WE and everyone is super supportive. Great benefits, flexible schedule, and decent compensation if you negotiate early.

Cons

It is extremely difficult to move up. There are very few opportunities to become a Sr. Analyst and even smaller of becoming a Manager which makes it almost cut-throat at the Analyst level. There are people who play the brown-nosing and political games to get ahead and its discouraging when you see the antics work. Absolutely no distinction between Associate Analyst and Analyst - which I'm not sure who this hurts more (Associates are paid less; Analysts hardly do any analysis).

There definitely is a gap between management and lower tier employees.

Advice to Senior Management

Create Job Distinction - have a coordinator do the work of a coordinator and an analyst of an analyst. When you hire people in their late 20s - early 30s, they want to move up and/or build skills. If you want a data entry monkey, hire a recent graduate. They'll be happy to get experience and get paid a low salary.

Bridge the Gap - between management and lower tier. We have no idea what you are doing (or if you actually are doing anything) while we do all the hard work.

Pros

Great people, great content -- an environment that encourages you to fail forward and innovate in communications. I cannot think of a better, more collaborative learning environment. Lots of mobility between accounts.

Cons

long hours, but great time off and work/life balance. YOu have to be the one to set barriers, as it should be. Manage up!