The Program Reviews

3.1

50% would recommend to a friend

(23 total reviews)

52% positive business outlook

The Program has an employee rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars, based on 23 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The The Program employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Media and communication industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

23 reviews
1.0
7 Jul 2017

Digital Sweat Shop

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

This is a tough one, so I’m going to quote a review I saw on SET Creative’s page. “Only pro I see is that they hire under qualified people, so if you are looking to get into the industry take the job as a stepping stone since they will hire you.” WORD.

Cons

Wow. Where to begin…. ZERO work life balance. Upper management will agree to last minute “quick turn” projects when internal resourcing is already spread perilously thin, jeopardizing quality of work all around and putting undue stress on employees. Late night and weekend work are routine. Employees are expected to be plugged into Slack or email at ALL TIMES. Extremely toxic client relationship. It is the norm to receive a text or email for an out of the blue request from a client at 7:00pm on a Saturday and be expected to have something ready by 9:00am Sunday. Terrible “benefits”. Sick time is lumped in with PTO, so if an employee takes a sick day, they can kiss their PTO goodbye in spite of previous weekends & grueling late nights worked. There is no formal process for supplemental income or additional PTO and it is completely arbitrary whether an employee who has been burning the wick at both ends, will get any kick back. While a designer might get a bump in pay for working multiple weekends in a row, a producer is given nothing and told they “should have planned better” and to “treat the company as if it were their own”. STINGY office culture. Basic amenities such as hand soap, paper towels and forks are lacking. Snacks consist of a drawer full of stale candy and the cheapest, most processed foods you can find from the Winco bargain bin. Not kidding. HUGE gender pay gap. We’re talking tens of thousands of dollars for the same role. Extremely passive upper management that won’t give feedback even when asked directly by an employee looking to improve performance. No diversity, mostly straight white dudes. When an employee requested that the office sombrero, better known as the “skunkbrero” be taken down because it is offensive, upper management argued that just because “cultural appropriation is on trend at the moment we shouldn’t be too quick to react”. In the end it was taken down, but seriously!?!

1.0
22 May 2019

All Talk, No Action

Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Variety of client and type of work coming in makes it so projects aren't repetitive or boring. Some talented and smart people in the company. Room for growth.

Cons

Designers are NOT allowed to list work they do here on their portfolios. Also, there is no senior leadership in design. No boundaries with client expectations. Projects are accepted at the cost of employees who will work overnight and on weekends. This leads to unfair compensation to those extra hours worked where some people receive extra PTO and others won't. Pay inequality. People with higher titles can be paid less than those with lower titles. Also multiple instances of gender pay gaps during my time here. Toxic environment. While most of the people there are great, there are a few who spread tons of negativity. Rumors spread about who management will fire next and tons of badmouthing people behind their backs. These people also happen to be favorites and are rewarded for behavior.

avatar
The Program Response
6y
Hello and thank you for taking the time to leave your thoughts. We are sorely disappointed to hear you had such a negative experience at The Program. As a small but growing company, we aim to make sure each team member has the opportunities to learn and grow in a positive and supportive environment. We apologize if this was not felt. While we respect each team members personal opinions, there are a few comments here that we feel are important to address. This will avoid confusion between that which is one’s personal experience and that which is founded in documented materials. - Designers are absolutely allowed to show work in their portfolios. So long as that work is public in nature (e.g. the campaign is live), and proper attribution is given (e.g. client, agency, team members). - We have documented salary bands that each role falls within at time of hire and when considered for salary increases and promotion. These bands include a small range to account for years of experience, skill-set, etc. With regards to gender pay gaps, you will find our most sr. level and highest paid team members in the history of the company are women. These women were simply the best qualified for the role at the time of hire or promotion. We hire and promote based on talent, contribution, and most importantly, one’s passion for the work and the brands we serve.
3.0
7 Oct 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Being able to be a part of a growing digital agency. - Small or single person teams - Fun atmosphere

Cons

- Politics - Micromanagement from founders

Viewing 1 - 3 of 23 Reviews

Glassdoor has 26 The Program reviews submitted anonymously by The Program employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if The Program is right for you.