The Bloc Reviews

Cons

Still coming out of slump from the typical ebbs and flows of and ad agency that experienced some business hiccups. There are probably some people that should move on and take their sorrows with them because it's dragging down those who are around them. They could also benefit from having some more social areas with things like music or books to encourage people to interact more - the empty feeling is due to the open architecture of the space as well as the large cubical area each desk has. It's nice to not be on top of your neighbor, but I think the extra space works against them from a perception factor - considering other reviewers seem to be digging deep for an explanation as to why the feeling of emptiness.

Cons

Struggling with marketing and strategy fundamentals

Cons

Sometimes a lot of trust is put into people that don't deliver. It's always figured out and fixed but sometimes takes a bit longer than is ideal.

Cons

Clicky. It’s a work machine with little regard or care for the people who work there. If you leave before 6pm, you feel like everyone is judging you. There is no culture to speak of. The energy is low, the enthusiasm is low. People stay because they earn more than they would at other places. All in all a very depressing environment.

Cons

Clicky and negative work environment. Culture of gossip and favoritism that starts from the very top.

Cons

Not enough support on certain accounts.

Cons

Sometimes things get worse before they get better. The Bloc definitely has some areas to improve in like any company. Gaining traction out of a rough patch sometimes spins you in the wrong direction momentarily and I think we've lost some good talent because of this. I am personally hopeful that we have a solid core of smart and dedicated staff to lead us in the right direction. I also think that some people have promoted into leadership roles prematurely and the bar for strong business acumen has been jeopardized, especially with the recent exits of more experienced partners.

The past two years have been rough because of agreements with particular clients that have had impacts rippling throughout the company. There's challenging leadership on this business and the way some things have gone down definitely has created some high emotions from staff that has left. Not that it is unfounded, I do think that some reviewers have just not had a good experience because of it and when you aren't happy with something, you start to pick every little aspect apart.

Cons

Poor upper management based mostly on personal favoritism, lots of passive aggression, people promoted because they're pals with the bosses, chaotic creative and pitch process. A lot of pretending to care about employees but not really caring. Very clique-y. A sense of desperation pervades every move. Don't be sucked in by the beautiful views. There's a dark side.

Cons

A culture of fear, buck-passing, and blame. Witnessed the owners backbiting each other during team meetings. It was openly discussed and "joked" about that the owners' German Shepherd dog had attacked another employee's little terrier causing it serious injury. Empty offices were labeled "operations" giving the impression of higher agency headcount. Employees who had been there 2+ years did not know the names of their colleagues in IT, Operations, or Finance. There are less than 100 people at this agency, yet no one seemed to know their colleagues outside of their immediate team. This speaks volumes about the culture.

Cons

Not good quality of work being done.