These unsuccessful meetings were often followed up with emails asking questions that were addressed in the meeting.įor a company that frequently collaborates with Disney, Nickelodeon, and other leaders in children’s entertainment, they sadly do not live up to the values and caliber that their partners deserve. They will disregard agendas or poorly multitask to the point that you are frequently repeating yourself or grasping for them to focus. Specific supervisors will frequently miss or cancel meetings with little to no notice, and often when they do join they are not fully present for the purpose of the meeting. ![]() The poor team leadership somehow strikes a chord of being both extremely micromanaged, while supervisors still lack an understanding on project scopes/workload. Certain teams also have poor structure and internal leadership that leads to challenges in terms of insight on larger scale projects and brand developments. This is frequently asked of employees, but is not often recognized or acknowledged in the annual review process - nor is it considered in their salary or title. Adaptability is always important and being able to support the team. Many teams pride themselves on being “lean,” but the truth is often that they are vastly understaffed and overworked. ![]() Many, myself included, were told by their management that there was an expectation to still be online and present. This resulted in some employees being given additional PTO time while others essentially had their time stolen. After two rounds of unclear communication, it was made clear that the company would be unequally applying a PTO policy that allowed those who had used up their PTO to receive additional paid vacation time, while those who had not used their time, and had been reassured by managers that the company’s policy of paying out PTO would be honored, would in fact be deducted for those days. With one weeks notice, employees were notified that the office would be closing for one week between Christmas and New Years. The most impressive smoke and mirrors communication came during the holiday season. These emails often came with news that we purchased a new license, like Slinky or opened a new international office, but buried at the end you would find that it also meant some roles were furloughed or removed completely. In each email, we were assured that JP was weathering the storm and that we were a team. Throughout the over year long stretch of WFH there were perhaps 4-5 company wide emails from the CEO and President sent via the one sole HR person. The strain of remote working just highlighted the fractures that already existed within the company.Ĭommunication from leadership was abysmal throughout the pandemic. While some excelled at putting their people first others did not, and sadly Just Play falls into the latter. The ongoing pandemic challenged all businesses. ![]() One department gifted a $500 gift to a higher up one year, and an $800 gift the next year. Employees were furloughed during the pandemic, but they would continue to boast the company’s success in acquiring new brands and opening new offices. Christmas bonuses were cancelled and employees were gifted $80 ice cream sandwiches in lieu of a bonus. Profit is the only driver, no thought to how decisions will affect the employees. Overall, the company's priorities are out of whack. This is mostly due to understaffing and poor management. The pay is low for the amount of employees who are overworked, made to work late, and work weekends. Some people don’t even have titles, nor a job description. Sometimes your job description will not be what you thought you were hired for. There is no training, you are just thrown into the mix to figure out your job. In one case, an employee was harassing another for months until they saw any sort of consequence. There were no repercussions for employees who gossipped or even harassed other employees. ![]() There is only one HR person for the whole company. Over all I would say its not a good place to work in any respect. It is also not unusual for employees to work during their vacation time because if they don't then the work waiting for them is overwhelming when they return. It is not unusual for employees to be answering emails and working on files until 2am and then back at work at 8am the next morning. Most of the employees work way more hours they they are compensated for sometimes having to take work home with them as well. There has always been too much work for the time available. There is no "real" HR department (one woman and she rarely answers her phone or email) so no way to address concerns or solve any problems that do come up. There is a lot of ignoring problems or blaming others instead of fixing problems. They are more likely to ignore any issues then try to change how things work. They give 3 weeks of vacation time for new hires, but sick time is included in that.
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