GTB Employee Reviews about "upper management"

Pros

Provided great exposure to critical business decisions for one of the largest global advertisers. Very pleasant environment and co-workers. Great work-life balance. Good benefits and generous time off policy.

Cons

Things started to deteriorate beginning in 2016-2017 time frame. New COO cut a few traditional perks that alienated particularly the younger work force. Upper management has been quite entrenched and all covering for each other. Not even the loss of a huge chunk of Ford business elicited any changes in upper managementNot even the loss of a huge chunk of Ford business elicited any changes in upper managementNot even the loss of a huge chunk of Ford business elicited any changes in upper management. Took them more than 6 months to even replace the CEO. Significant attrition. Large chunks of still lucrative business are being divested / spun off.

Pros

Boss and coworkers are great. Client is approachable, knowledgeable and a pleasure to work with. There are a lot of smart people who know their stuff and work very hard.

Cons

Raises are inconsistent and unfair (between departments) with the evaluations we have to complete on an annual basis. Feel extremely undervalued and invisible by upper management. Feels like you shouldn't take advantage of all the activities the company provides in case it could reflect negatively on your work ethic or future salary increases.

Pros

This is a really nice place to work, there are plenty of benefits that make working here great, although pay isn't one of them. Summer Fridays and the holiday schedule are great for not getting burnt out. Working for a stable client like Ford is also a great plus. I am proud to say that my manager and director are extremely fun to work for and are very easy to talk with. I'm not sure how many others can say that within the building. As for the building itself, it is GREAT and the day to day interactions with coworkers are really fun, from parties to concerts the fringe benefits are superb.

Cons

Having worked at Team Detroit when it was just 5 big agency field offices in one building to now the homogenization of all those agencies into one I can say that Team Detroit is less effective on MOST business now, as one, as opposed to when it was segmented. I say this because I believe that 'best practices' from the different agencies were ignored in favor of practices that the executive team (composed almost solely of JWT employees) were comfortable and familiar with. This lead to alienation of non-JWT employees and continues to hamper employee relationships. Also there is a very large sense of ownership within the departments, which usually would be a pro, but here it hinders the flow of ideas. If someone works on something they are scared to share it with coworkers who might be able to provide fresh thinking because the owners are scared to lose what they are working. Ownership breeds closed mindedness at Team Detroit. Now to agree with everyone else...the pay is awful. There is no excuse for the way raises are handed out. I understand that there are times where pay increases aren't financially viable, but those are dire circumstances (like the bailout of the other big two) and 85% of the time this isn't the case. Team Detroit has been shown in the press as a ray of sunshine in a dismal Detroit job market, creating new jobs. This is only because they are losing key workers due to stagnant pay and no information about upward mobility. The blame for the exodus of good employees and replacing them with less skilled ones lays solely on upper management. There is no communication to lower management as to the cadence or even availability of raises. HR will say that raises can ONLY be given out in May or November, but they aren't. No one knows what is happening. The worst part is that if you do get a promotion (usually this happens when you move from client to client and doesn't usually happen to someone who's doing a great job with one client) you WILL NOT get a raise. HR will not give you anything in writing (I asked when I moved from a higher position) and most of the time will try and tell you that you're 'laterally moving.' The median salary for Detroit is $28,900 (as of 2010) and as a college graduate in a professional setting you will start at $28,000 (plus overtime), non-negotiable. Once you spend your mandatory year in traffic, you move to your next step and will make $34,000 (estimate) once someone sticks their neck out for you to get a raise somehow. This will not happen again for at least 3-5 years.

Pros

Great co-workers Paid shut-down between Christmas and New Year Many extra-curricular activities offered like health classes (cost), food trucks, and enrichment activities. Regular access to training and learning of new skills (free Lynda.com access). Encourages community involvement and volunteerism

Cons

Raises are non-existent unless you are an executive. Company has acknowledged the issue, but done nothing to change it. Because of this, hard to keep any talent. They get experience and move on for better pay. EXTREMELY low morale. Made to feel like you should be thankful you even have a job. They eliminate positions and you are made to absorb the extra work, even if it requires putting in more hours with no extra pay. Cost of healthcare increases annually, with no adjustment in pay. Effectively, bringing home less money every year. Upper management taking away perks such as summer Fridays and blaming it on client complaints. (BS) Favoritism among employees and groups of employees. The same rules do not apply for all. Overall feeling like management doesn't care about employees, only their bottom line. Told how well the client is doing, keep working harder, but no compensation and taking away previously allowed benefits.

Pros

- coworkers are amazing, haven't met someone here I didn't like - bagel Mondays - plenty of holiday days - Engage committees (groups you can join outside of daily work, great time for networking) - Stereo 550 bands, Eastern Market Stand on Fridays, food trucks in the summer

Cons

- VERY poor salaries, especially for contract positions, although full-time isn't much better - took away summer Fridays - not enough days off - management is trying to turn a creative office into a corporate mini ford - TERRIBLE communication from upper management - no clear path for moving up in career

Pros

The people are very intelligent

Cons

Upper management has slowly been taking job perks away without providing other compensation After a mass exodus, there have been no new hires

Pros

1) The people - in the trenches, getting the job done day in and day out that are some of the friendliest, hardest working people I have come across in over a decade in the business. 2) Ford clients - they treat us as partners and value our insights and recognize/appreciate the effort put forth on their behalf. It's uncommon to have that sort of client/agency relationship and makes all the difference in the world when you are putting in extra hours in the early morning, late at night, on weekends or sometimes even on holidays. 3) Bagels, I guess?

Cons

1) Silos, silos, silos: For a company that prides itself on having 'no silos', GTB has got more than the Midwest put together. Over the past year - I have seen Team Detroit morph from an open, collaborative space where everyone from the top down was working for the betterment of Ford with a sense of enthusiasm, optimism and purpose and a common goal. As GTB, it's become secretive, paranoid and a sense of disorganization as to where we need to be headed and how we need to do it. Rumors fly rampant - Mid-managers have their hands tied from upper management (more on that in a bit). There are new processes that are going to lead us into the future - but no one seems to know what they are, letting the people doing the actual work to power through it and keep delivering to the same level of excellence as before to our clients. 2) Upper Management - they don't care about you, and it shows! (when you actually see them). You'll have a yearly meeting where you hear about what a crown jewel you are in the crown of WPP - and that's about it. About a week or so later, you'll have a one off meeting with your department head to tell you how you aren't working hard enough and privileges are being revoked. As a bonus, it'll be blamed on the clients who know nothing about this edict. See the Nat'l Lampoons Christmas Vacation metaphor in a previous review for more information. 3) Removal of work-life balance, which Team Detroit was renown for. Yes - Summer Fridays are gone, and to some extent I can understand why. But you do not need to punish the many who are in there, putting in their hours (and more) for the few who aren't. We buzz in every day - you know who is in the office and who isn't. If the managers are letting people slide - punish the managers and not the populace in general. The 9-5 rule was/is poorly articulated and doesn't take into account employees dropping off/picking up their kids, client meetings, shoots, early am conference calls, offsite meetings and frankly is out of touch when most people are firing up their laptops when they get home. We have so many tools to operate remotely, which the majority of the personnel takes advantage of. This is not 1995 and the infancy of the internet. We are ALWAYS connected - and in touch with our clients and co-workers at all times, whether we are in or out of the office. We help our colleagues and and we help out clients - something they do not see with their eyes closed and doors shut. 4) Compensation is below market value, promotions are rare, raises are near non-existent and talent is not retained with matching/superior counteroffers. You can take on above and beyond your level of scope and responsibility and not see any fruit from your labor until you are so fed up you are almost forced out. Bagels and a food truck every couple of weeks are not motivators. 5) Nothing - absolutely nothing is being done about the rock bottom morale circulating around the agency. Middle management, for the most part is doing their best to keep sprits up, but the thought circulating is - what are they going to take away next? What perceived slight is going to cause another departmental meeting where everyone nods silently and makes a mental note to update their resumes because there is nothing they can do about it, no matter how hard they work.

Pros

- Wonderful people to work with. Fun Environment. Great Culture. Outstanding Vacation Policy. Opportunities for advancement.

Cons

- Upper management could keep their employees more in the loop about business decisions and the direction of the company.

Pros

- Positive work/life balance - Relaxed environment -Solid Work

Cons

-Upper Management does not listen