Pros
The once great cluster of ad agencies that had real soul, were people-first and who genuinely looked after their employees are no more. Any benefits we once had no longer exist (yes it looks like remote working is going at some point). So none (beyond a job to keep a roof over my head)
Cons
Let me be clear. This company could not give a toss about its employees. The "once happy to stay late/ go the extra mile even for tricky clients" brigade has well & truly left the building. And no, (so long as they weren't laid off in the latest round of redundancies), they haven't physically left. But I am yet to speak to ONE, yes ONE person in the Paid Media arm who isn't: - totally mentally checked out & exhausted by the empty promises from senior management - hasn't stopped caring (side note: it's impossible to care when you're more overworked than you ever have been in your 7 years of working here) GAIN is a sorry example of the brilliant agencies that once were. Communication between departments is poor, leadership is inconsistent, and management turnover is frequent and unexplained. Roles are regularly rewritten with little notice, training, or rationale. Mistakes are aplenty (as should be expected with an underpaid, fed up and emotionally exhausted 'engine'). If GAIN was a car, every single warning light on the dashboard would be lit up like a Christmas tree. It wouldn't pass an MOT and would be on its way to the scrapheap. Where to begin? Employees across the Paid Media arm are subject to ongoing contract amendments that must be signed, typically reducing stability while increasing responsibility. (Hello ACAS it's the whole of GAIN speaking). Entire teams are removed or restructured abruptly, with remaining staff expected to absorb additional work and then criticised for underperformance. Clients are visibly affected by the lack of continuity, though internal focus seems to prioritise upselling over resolving structural issues as others have said. Compensation is below industry standard, progression is unclear, and morale is low. Many employees remain not because the environment is healthy, but because the wider job market currently offers limited alternatives. GAIN does not realise (or likely care) about this and frequently toots their horn about how great culture is/ how amazing the 'new benefits' are (removing unlimited holiday with 32 days now as standard). Salary review?! Don't even know her. It's been 84 years etc.