However, there is definitely a lot more that goes behind the scenes here that makes it a less than ideal place to invest your time and effort in.
First of all, what I have experienced here is a good example of modern-day slavery. The foundation of the company is built on an unnecessary and overwhelming amount of sacrifices. Sacrifices of an employee’s personal time, health and mental wellbeing. Holidays are almost non-existent in this company, and people who are on vacation gets called back to work on assignments that can wait until they return. The management makes you feel guilty about taking any time off, and there is an ongoing competition to see who clocks in the most hours. Whether or not those hours were spent effectively is another discussion altogether.
There is even a running joke in the team saying, “Nas Academy only hires people who are single,” and there is so much truth in that statement. People here either have very understanding partners or they do not have time for themselves because they are stuck in a never-ending cycle of wake up, work, sleep, wake up, work, sleep. The company has this extremely dated mindset that the moment they pay you a salary, the minimum requirement you need to have is to devote your entire life to them. When you do hard work here, you only get rewarded with more work, longer working hours and even blurrier lines between work and personal boundaries.
Secondly, they do not preach what they say. They always champion having transparency in the workplace but people who are honest and upfront with them do not end up well. Sadly, it seems like only praises are welcomed. There was one time we had a meeting to discuss comments left by an unhappy team member and it was one of the most unprofessional things I have ever witnessed in my career. People who gave suggestions for improvement are branded as lazy, out-of-touch... and any negative feedback is seen as a betrayal to the company because “we pay you your monthly salary”. When people leave, they ask them to fill out exit surveys. I know personally that some have left thoughtful replies but the management seems to chuck it aside and do not learn anything from it. All of this really discourages anyone from speaking up and be transparent because why bother?
Finally, this is a place where you can come in for a good sprint and do it for your portfolio, but this is not a place you can stay for long. The number of people who left in less than 6 months is far higher than the number of people who had actually made it past 1 year… and for the few who stayed, it is so alarming to see so many of them who are actively on the lookout for other opportunities. It is disheartening to know so many people that you work with on a daily basis are ready to drop everything and leave the moment they get offered something.
As we see more and more companies embrace work-life balance and prioritise an employee’s wellbeing (especially because of the impact of COVID-19), it is sad to see a “+ve impact” company like Nas Daily taking so many steps backwards.