Culture of Fear and Toxicity. DO NOT FALL INTO THIS TRAP! Look Elsewhere! - Anonymous employee Monkedia Employee Review

1.0
17 Sept 2019
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Being a small company allows for agility and potential for innovation* (if capitalized upon) - There is potential here if an experienced CEO is brought in, and employees are listened to and respected.

Cons

Please read to save yourself from working here, as someone who was tenured long enough here to oversee employees: - When employees are first hired here many are asked within the FIRST week to leave a glassdoor review... which is why there are so many positive reviews here (this also allows them to keep track of who leaves reviews, employees have been called into offices to investigate who left a negative review). In job hiring interviews (which I was on both sides of while I was there) much of the "hype" and attributes about the company and culture is very misleading and often direct lies misrepresenting what Monkedia is as a company with intent to lure new hires in. Honestly and authenticity is something that is greatly lacking here. - The biggest red flag here is: ALL of leadership/management are friends or friends of friends (relationships prior to the start of the company) of the CEO/Owner who has 100% ownership in Monkedia. This is why there has been many many many failed attempts at employees trying to create change. However, when one person has complete control and are surrounded by friends/yes-men. It make sense why there has not been any change, and why so many high-level and respected employees have quit. - Culture, culture, culture... the workplace environment is completely toxic and full of fear here. Employees are not respected, listened to, or treated well across the board. Which is why so many respected employees have quit here.. Please please please do not fall into the trap and work here!! There literally is not even an HR/Hiring team here anymore because they all quit!

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Monkedia Response
5y
Thank you very much for sharing your feedback. Your concerns regarding the tight knit leadership and opportunities for HR in 2019 were valid. Since that time, a lot has changed! We have two HR leaders completely devoted to the employee experience and to creating a place where employees and taking ownership is rewarded. The leadership team communicates regularly, and this is demonstrated by monthly updates to all people as well as a more inclusive leadership team. We are all growing and evolving together, and input like yours has helped us along the way.

Explore other reviews about Monkedia

5.0
14 Aug 2025
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I worked here for a couple years, and overall really enjoyed working with most of the colleagues I had during that time. The creative team was very collaborative. Not every project was super exciting but there was enough variety to keep the day-to-day interesting. I received multiple promotions during my time at Monkedia, so there was opportunity for growth though the ceiling seemed somewhat limited because it's not a huge team.

Cons

They finally implemented full-time remote work, which was great, but I ended up missing the in-person collaboration a lot. That's the primary reason I left for another opportunity, to be closer to family and have a hybrid job that included some office time. Also, after going remote it seems like some of what made the company culture special was lost, which I suppose is to be expected in a remote work setting.

1.0
30 Apr 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Monkedia was once a genuinely good place to work. The original team was talented, collaborative, and committed. If you are reading this and considering a role here, know that the culture and quality of people that built this company's reputation are largely gone.

Cons

The business was sold roughly six months ago with virtually no warning to employees. The previous owner announced the sale via a quick video call to a handful of employees the day before it was finalized. The day of the sale the new owner sent out a company-wide email assuring everyone their jobs were safe. That turned out to not be true. In the months that followed, the new owner was largely absent and uncommunicative. He had to be encouraged by the existing leadership team just to introduce himself to staff. After that initial meeting, meaningful communication from him was essentially nonexistent. One of his first substantive request to senior staff was to find a cheaper replacement for a key technical employee. That set the tone for everything that followed: a relentless focus on cost cutting at the expense of people and quality. With less than 24 hours notice, a select group of employees received an email informing them their salaries would be reduced by 10%, effective the next day. No conversation, no warning, no negotiation. Over the following months, the majority of the core team was either laid off, pushed out, or left on their own. Expect technical and operational support to shift heavily to offshore resources. The institutional knowledge and talent that made this company worth anything when it was acquired is gone or leaving. The new owner has no demonstrated people management skills and treats employees as expendable assets rather than human beings. There is no vision, no leadership, and no investment in the people doing the work.

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