It’s A Trap - Manager Onward Reserve Employee Review

Things were good so far.

Well, There might be some cons.

Clear brand aesthetic and strong product identity. Hands-on exposure to product development and production process. Work life balance is workable.

Design role is highly controlled with limited creative autonomy or ownership. Most work is execution-focused rather than concept-driven. Minimal onboarding and little visibility into the broader product strategy, making it difficult to understand the bigger picture or grow within the role. The position functions more as a support role, with limited opportunity to develop an individual design point of view. Increasing reliance on AI-driven outputs reduces opportunities for original creative development. Expectations around outside creative work are not clearly communicated upfront, which can lead to misalignment.