Pros
– Salary was always credited on time. – Work timings had some flexibility. – Several colleagues across departments were genuinely helpful and professional. – The organisation has strong potential in terms of business vision and product capability.
Cons
(Disclaimer: This review has been written with the help of AI, because typing out these experiences manually would have put me through unnecessary anxiety and stress again.) My experience revealed deep cultural inconsistencies that future employees must know before accepting a role — especially in sales, marketing, or cross-functional teams. None of this is written out of anger; it is simply what I observed first-hand so future candidates can make an informed decision. While my offer letter mentioned one business unit, I was moved to a different sub-company/project shortly after joining — without any prior communication. Many employees later mentioned this happened to them too, causing confusion about roles, performance expectations, and reporting structure. ⸻ 1. Unclear hierarchy & unofficial power centres Although designations and reporting lines existed on paper, actual authority often lay with individuals who were neither managers nor authorised to supervise others. This resulted in situations where I was: • Questioned about my attendance and movement by people who were not my reporting managers • Publicly asked to explain my timings by individuals who seemed to have unofficial access to confidential attendance data • Expected to follow instructions issued by colleagues significantly junior in role and designation • Held accountable for decisions made by people outside my reporting chain This led to a culture where favouritism, not structure, determined influence. ⸻ 2. Public agitation over tasks outside job role Once, I was reprimanded—quite aggressively—for not aligning 40–45 A4 sheets perfectly to form an A0 print layout. This was neither my responsibility nor a skillset required for my role. Yet the escalation was public, unnecessary, and humiliating — and became a pattern with tasks that employees were never hired for. ⸻ 3. A culture of control, not collaboration One particularly disturbing incident: • I was called at 6:17 PM while at a client meeting near my home. • Told to return to office immediately to show physical documents. • Despite peak-hour traffic and 40°C heat, I travelled over 16 km. • When I reached at around 7:10 PM, the person who insisted had already left office — even before calling me. • I received no communication, no courtesy call, no update. • Instead, I was asked to submit documents to someone junior, who would “explain it upward.” The emotional impact of such incidents compounds over time. ⸻ 4. Employee well-being felt secondary I learned that multiple employees had left or absconded from the team in short spans. When speaking to colleagues and reading external reviews, a consistent theme emerged: • unpredictable treatment • politics-driven decision-making • frequent humiliation • lack of accountability for specific individuals • emotionally draining work environment This was not a one-off complaint — it was a repeated pattern. ⸻ 5. Role mismatch & shifting expectations Responsibilities were often shifted without discussion or clarity. Employees were later blamed for “underperformance” in roles they were never hired for. This misalignment creates an unhealthy and demotivating atmosphere. Summary: ARC has strengths, but certain teams suffer from cultural realities that overshadow the organisation’s potential. Future employees should: • Confirm exactly which unit they will work for • Ask to meet their direct reporting manager before joining • Understand hierarchy and approval processes • Evaluate the cultural environment carefully during the first few weeks This review is not to discourage, but to ensure others do not walk in blindly, the way many of us did.