Stay away - Technical Designer Madison 88 Employee Review

1.0
22 Jun 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

In midtown near lots of trains.

Cons

On the brink of illegal working conditions. There's no working fridge, coffee machine, clean table area to prep lunch etc… none of the basics. Sometimes there wasn’t even running water or working toilets. 1 of the office rooms has 9+ adults with 0 windows. Office is open environment with people piled on top of each other. NO personal work space whatsoever. Freight elevator opens directly to office rooms, so employees are constantly disrupted by loud noises, packaging tasks, and strangers entering. No adequate air flow system in the office- Owner penny pinches by not turning on a/c, leaving some employees to get so hot they’re sweating at their desks unless they’ve purchased personal fans or cooling system. So on top of having being piled on top of each other and claustrophobic, you are either hot as hell or freezing. No adequate sample storage system whatsoever. Samples are kept in large clothing containers stacked on top of each other, shoved in a back room. Looking for/getting anything is hopeless. Office supplies are reused to an embarrassing extent. If you need a binder, folders, and pens, brace yourself to be handed items from years ago that half-work since they’ve had multiple owners prior to you. Employees have no office phones. So are often forced to use personal cell phones for business use. 1 of the owners told me "in tough times..." they "keep in mind the people with kids/families." I immediately felt uncomfortable and asked directly if being a single woman put me at a higher risk of termination (which is against the law). She responded with “that’s a good question…” then neglected to answer and started talking about the company’s current business status. It was beyond inappropriate, unlawful, and shows their entire lack of professionalism of which they’re oblivious to. It doesn't take much to know that a statement like that can be sued over. Employees are judgmental & cliquey but Above all- the owners have created all of this and are the culprit problem. They literally scream at their employees and overseas partners it’s—appallingly unprofessional. They get unnecessarily angry and accusatory towards their own team, over things that can be easily solved/fixed. Lots of finger pointing and backstabbing. Toxic work environment.

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Madison 88 Response
5y
Negative reviews can be devastating to any company, especially ours, which takes great pride in their relationship and working conditions of their employees. That is exactly who we are and who we have been for 18 years. Thank you for sharing your thoughts about your time at Madison 88. I am sorry you did not have a great experience during your time here, and it is true that working at Madison 88 is not for everyone. We do ask a lot from all our employees and we ask our team members to be incredibly nimble as we serve customers in an industry that is very demanding. Our philosophy and firm belief for all our successful years has been to place a high priority of fairness, comfort, and equality for all our employees. That is why we have had most of our employees here for many years. Turnover and new employees happen when people are treated unfairly both financially and in working conditions. That is not what we want and that is why we listen, discuss, and react to any of our employee’s concerns. This is also why the negative reviews here are left by people who have been released from their positions and have not left Madison 88 for the reasons they are writing about. As of June 30, 2020, we had 20 employees working for Madison 88 with an average retention rate of 6 ½ years of service. To date we have not fired or furloughed any employees due to the Corona Virus Pandemic. This we feel is a credit to how we manage the company, working to be fiscally responsible, along with taking care of our work force. More than most companies, we firmly believe that with a relatively small workforce, it is critical that everyone enjoy a comfortable, fair, and enjoyable work environment. We are considerably upset at the claims set forth by a couple of disgruntled employees. Thank you again and we wish you the best in your career.

Explore other reviews about Madison 88

5.0
30 Sept 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I worked at Madison 88 for nearly 10 years. Madison 88 is a Design and Development house focused on knitting, where you will learn all of the fundamentals by an experienced, hands on team. It is a smaller, more intimate company, where you will develop close relationships with your teammates. They are always encouraging a collaborative environment and to attend workshops and expositions for continuous growth and innovation. They work with over 60 top brands worldwide, offering you exposure to a variety of different company’s working ways. I had the ability to travel frequently, both domestically and internationally, to brand headquarters, trade shows, and factories, with each trip enhancing my knowledge and experience in the industry. Madison 88 offers great benefits and competitive compensation and my reason for leaving was to focus on my family.

Cons

Can include early/late hours to accommodate overseas counterparts & customers

1
1.0
18 Mar 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

You get exposure to global networking

Cons

No work life balance, constant night calls, and frequent interrogations from the owners. There is yelling and judgment from top management. It's not a healthy or stable company to work for. There are constant changes, high turnover, and they struggle to retain employees. You will never get a timely response from the CFO/HR because you're just not important.

1
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