Research at Hanover consists of googling random key words to produce 20+ pages reports in 3 to 4 days. The expectation is that in 3-4 days you not only conduct extensive research on fairly complex topics but also that you create tables, visuals, and magic. You must work at least 10-12 hours a day with no breaks to achieve that level of perfection. You are incentivized to work long hours because project evaluations will address any insignificant mistake you make because of those tight timelines. Further, the expectation is that after 3-4 intense days of researching and heavy writing, you also find the intellectual energy in you to come up with appropriate and clever recommendations to the client when you actually have no clue what the client actually needs (you don't possess this knowledge because you rarely get to engage with clients)
Mid management is unaware of what it means to actually manage people. Content Directors are either 20 something that got promoted simply because of their tenure at the company or external hires that are completely ignorant of any serious research methodology. They all excel at drafting emails where they completely change the scope of work, an art that confirms how terrible they are at providing guidance to the researchers. But it is not even the directors’ fault for being that awful because they are overworked too. While Directors get to evaluate researchers on every single project, researchers never get the chance to evaluate Directors on their work. Some Directors have no clue how to conduct research and don't realize how impossible it is to turn flawless reports in 3 days.
Don’t bother complaining to HR. They are busy fixing the coffee machine.
Upper management is a bunch of white frat boys that have no clue what leadership means. The CEO's not-so-secret dream is to pay researchers less to work more and more hours so that he can afford a new leather chair.