Pros
- Cool office space with an open bar and Starbucks coffee machine (Will go as far as to say that its a strong contender to places like Google, Grab, and Facebook) - Flexible work arrangements - Great benefits that range from allowances (lunch / travel) to Working From Anywhere - Opportunity to head overseas for annual company retreats - Half day Fridays on the last Friday of every month - EOY office closure from Christmas to New Years - Relatively flat hierarchy and plenty of transparency from top management - Generally friendly, helpful and outgoing colleagues - Lots to learn, your learning curve will be accelerated compared to your peers and you will pick up lots of skills
Cons
- Clique-ish culture and blatant favouritism The company culture varies widely, and some teams can have a very toxic environment. There are missing checks and balances, which means that some people can get away with bad behaviour (and a lot more) because they have been with the company for a long time. Said people are also the first to throw their teammates under the bus when there are issues with clients despite reviewing and giving approval for client materials beforehand. There's also a "6pm drinks club" happening in the office where select employees are invited to have a drink / gossip / complete work simultaneously, while those uninvited continue to slog in the office. Be firmer and more deliberate about embodying WE's values - too many "leaders" get away with toxic behaviour either due to intimidation of their junior colleagues or a general reluctance of the company to let these leaders go - Do not underestimate the impact of emotional stress the junior staff go through having to manage toxic managers on top of the already overwhelming workload. - Performative work culture Working long hours are not only encouraged, but also celebrated here. The longer hours you work - the more you show that you're hardworking - the more chances you get at being promoted. Work-life balance is so poor that you barely get to see the sun on a regular weekday. Attrition is high, work can be quite intense so pace yourself. - Limited growth opportunities You'll be stuck at a level for a very very long time because of a stupid system performance evaluation system where you have to chummy up to different heads in order to get visibility of who you are so that they will nominate you when it comes to performance evaluation cycle. Promotions seem to be a popularity contest more than merit. - Poor resourcing on "less important" accounts The workload and project impact can vary among teams, contributing to the level of stress experienced in the role. In my tenure there, I was the only person doing the legwork on majority of accounts in a sector that the agency did not have expertise in. Client expectations were grossly mismatched with ours, and I was made to put up with rude and degrading comments by the client. As I was the only one doing the legwork, no one else had a clue about the work that I was doing and this was evident in the inaccurate feedback provided by my manager in my annual review. If you're not a chiongster or a thrill seeker in your career then this is not for you. WE is not for the faint-hearted. It's for the go-getters and the result-oriented. While there are perks to this crazy place, it's very easy to be burnt out.