Pros
There are some really great people here with big, kind hearts. Great ideals and aspirational values.
Cons
I, like many of the folks here, was drawn to the defiantly virtuous ideals and mission statement espoused by this agency, "quit advertising, make work you're proud of with purpose, work with kind and generous people, love your life." I admire the agency's intention to set such a value-driven north star to guide them home, but this dream is not yet a reality. Here's what I and many others experienced: exclusion, stonewalling and gaslighting, double standards, public disrespect and shaming, unfair and unrealistic expectations on output without organizational or structural support, the high value placed on a lack of work-life balance, and if you're a BIPOC, the dismissal of your ideas which are then celebrated when uttered or implemented by someone who's not a minority. A strong will to perform emotional labor coupled with the desire to abide by emotional display rules is required to overcome the symptoms of burnout and cognitive dissonance. There is potential for a lot of good here, and I am thankful for the opportunity to have grown my resilience and interpersonal skills. Unfortunately, my health, self-confidence, and well-being suffered as a result of having worked here.