- Toxic Metrics Culture: Promotions and recognition are based almost entirely on arbitrary performance targets (e.g., special issues launched), not meaningful outcomes or quality.
- Encouraged Corner-Cutting: To meet quotas, employees must bypass best practices; those who work ethically and offer equal, fair customer support and follow best practices across teams fall behind. Those who fall behind face stagnation in their role and pay.
- Micromanagement & Volatility: Constant top-down changes, inconsistent priorities, and shifting KPIs make strategic planning nearly impossible.
-Surface-Level Policy Shifts: Short-term changes in quality metrics were finally made to address external complaints but quickly reverted, often with new burdens added.
- Feedback Is Unwelcome: Constructive criticism, even when backed by data, is actively discouraged or ignored. Challenging the system often leads to being sidelined.
- Disconnect Between Training and Practice: SOPs from onboarding are impossible to follow while meeting the day-to-day workload. Quality-focused goals are incompatible with quantity performance demands.
- Overburdened Staff: Properly doing the job "by the book" to upper management standard requires unsustainable hours; shortcuts become normalized. Nobody checks routinely beyond the numbers. Proper external data-driven investigations into the quality of work have been rare and often done long after the responsible employees switched teams or left altogether. No real improvements are made. Consistently, new starters are faced with dealing with the shortcomings and mistakes of other people, without any recognition.
Toxic Management & Leadership Culture:
High Turnover, Management included: Had 5–6 managers over 5 years, many lasting only a year or less. This instability undermines continuity and trust.
Two Types of Managers:
A) Performative Leaders: Charismatic, articulate, highly ambitious, target-driven managers who thrive in public-facing roles. While good presenters, they often lack empathy, people skills, and follow-through. Struggled with supporting team members through personal or mental health challenges. Promotions come quickly for this group, at the expense of other people's struggles.
B) Supportive Mentors: Genuine people managers who offer mentorship, autonomy, and space for growth. Actively listened and allowed me to take initiative. These individuals are often reassigned to low-performing journals or leave the department entirely, suggesting that their leadership style is undervalued compared to the KPI-chasing one.
Lack of Recognition, Innovation & Visibility
Innovation is Performative: Those who speak up in meetings and lead initiatives are often newer employees seeking visibility and promotion. Many are rewarded despite lacking experience or substance behind their suggestions. Managers and staff are expected to "say yes" to everything, regardless of logic or value. Critical thinking is undervalued.
Attention Craves Reward: Upper management disproportionately rewards individuals who self-promote and project enthusiasm, regardless of whether their ideas are meaningful or sustainable.
Promotions Based on Compliance, Not Competence: Saying "yes" to every demand and inflating numbers is the fast-track to promotion, not integrity, quality, or strategic insight.
Experienced Voices Are Often Ignored: Long-tenured employees who consistently deliver high-quality work are frequently overlooked. Their feedback, which often challenges flawed SOPs or targets, is unwelcome.
Recognition Is Superficial: Occasional praise in meetings or a name on a slide is the extent of acknowledgement. Quality contributions are not typically followed by actionable support or promotion unless they are actively self-marketed.
Missed Learning Opportunities: Upper management rarely consults experienced specialists for genuine insights or best practices. Instead, newer, more outspoken staff are chosen to represent the company, even when their ideas have been tried and failed before.
