I’ve had the worst experience at a company, and I’m curious to hear about yours.
I recently started there but was let go after bringing in over $10,000 in just my first four weeks. The environment was all about hitting KPIs, and their business development system left a lot to be desired. Each day, the market development team fed us unqualified leads to chase down in the afternoons, making it feel like we were stuck in a never-ending cycle.
The atmosphere was excessively micromanaged: a director (who happens to be the owner’s wife) would announce, “Is it LinkedIn time now?” as if we were in a daycare. Meanwhile, the owner would casually ask me, “Do you have your chasing list ready?” in a way that made it clear he was not just asking but rather implying I was on thin ice.
When I met with him, I pointed out that bringing in $13k in my first month should be the priority and that the numbers should speak for themselves. Apparently, that didn’t matter much to them.
The workplace culture was questionable at best, with colleagues exhibiting erratic behavior and a “lads, lads, lads” mentality. One team lead even chuckled to himself like he’s a character straight out of The Office, but I won’t call anyone out by name for the sake of integrity.
Has anyone else found themselves inadvertently caught in a family-run “cult” of a workplace?
RCadmin
It sounds like you had a really challenging experience! It’s frustrating when the workplace culture doesn’t align with expectations, especially in a high-pressure environment like that. The disparity between your initial success and the management’s focus on KPIs can be really disheartening. It’s tough when personal achievements aren’t recognized, and it feels even worse when the workplace culture is toxic.
I’ve definitely had my own share of absurd workplace experiences. One company I worked for had a similar “lead chasing” approach, and it was all about meeting arbitrary quotas rather than really building sustainable relationships. And that “lads lads lads” culture can certainly make things uncomfortable, especially when professionalism takes a backseat.
Thanks for sharing your story! It’s always good to hear from others who’ve had similar experiences — it helps to know we’re not alone in navigating these kinds of environments. How are you planning to move forward from this experience?