Avoid if you want to work in a rewarding business
Pros
Despite having a weird vibe at the start, the people here are all lovely. I soon realised the weird vibe was due to the strange/toxic working environment created by the CEO. Everyone works really hard across the business, which should be recognised. (However this is likely due to fear of being told off than from general motivation). Get fruit delivered three times a week (this should be the bare minimum as we are in the office full-time).
Cons
Absolutely no organisation across the business. Priorities are changing so much that it's impossible to keep up. No clear business strategy and no communication on upcoming campaigns or general need-to-know info. Never receive any business announcements or achievements, so the only way to find out anything is to gossip in the kitchen (the one joy of working here). Massive turn-over on staff and no exit interviews which just shows the CEO has no interest in making improvements to the working environment. Absolutely zero company culture or benefits - it's really embarrassing to try and explain this to prospective employees during interviews, especially as senior management have such high expectations but we are unable to offer them anything in return. No HR team whatsoever, so everyone is running wild and doing random tasks that are way outside of their remit, there is no way of making any formal suggestions, and people seem to be given random job titles with no actual thought behind career progression. (the excuse of Self-portrait being a "start-up" is no longer valid as there are more than enough employees to warrant a full-time HR manager). Creative Director/CEO is very difficult to work with. The office is open plan, so we see/hear EVERYTHING. He gets fixated on issues that are easily resolved. He is not scared to shout at someone and belittle them in front of the entire office. If you talk or laugh a little too loud you will be shushed. There is NO excuse for this kind of behavior and lack of professionalism. As a company, there is a general disregard for employee's health and wellbeing. I have lost count of the amount of people I have seen crying.
