It took me only a couple months into my new role to feel validated in leaving Joybyte. The company’s leadership— whom I once admired, respected, and trusted— may have the perception that anyone who leaves Joybyte just wasn’t cut out for the intensity of the agency lifestyle, but this is expert level gaslighting. At first I thought the main issue was our clients, most of whom are incredibly difficult to work with (partially due to being set up for unmanageable expectations in the sales process), but it’s truly only the tip of the iceberg. The reason I was ultimately compelled to leave— aside from being paid well below the market for what this role entails, after almost two years, with 3/4 of that time having been considered one of their top performers— is the leadership team. Full stop.
When you have one [REDACTED], with nearly the entire team reporting to them— someone who starts their day at 3 or 4 in the morning and doesn’t log off until 8 or 9 at night many days of the week, neglected to properly delegate and train plenty of new extremely capable managers to relieve some of their workload— it’s bound to sow seeds of stress that trickle down onto every employee, whether they want to admit it (and risk retaliation) or not.
Burnout is not the result of “poor mental stamina”, as [REDACTED] loudly proclaims on his own public social media. It’s the result of poor leadership, in denial of their own burnout, and an almost cult-like insistence one needs to “buy in” to the “culture” for the greater success of the company, and by proxy, your growth. When you have [REDACTED] who is working themselves to death, even if they don’t directly say it, the unspoken expectation is *that* is the culture you need to buy into, or you will not be considered a reliable employee.
The term “toxic” is overused, and losing its meaning nowadays, but I truly don’t know how else to describe what the environment devolved into. It’s not all bad, no job ever is. I met some amazing people whom I will stay in touch with and remain close friends with. I learned a ton and grew immensely— especially in my first 6-9 months when I felt much more supported and valued; like I had a path to growth.
All this to say, accept a position here with caution. Take the love-bombing positive feedback in the beginning with a grain of salt. Gain the experience you need to find greener pastures.
