Difficult Management, Good For Short-Term and Starting Out In Digital Media
Pros
The best thing about working in this office was the camaraderie. It was easy to make friends with other web and content producers because management hires people from all over the country, so there are a lot of transplants and people new to the area. It's easy to make friends. Everyone loves sports, so it's easy to talk about and fosters a laid-back, casual work environment. Most people dress casually as well, often wearing basketball shorts and jeans. If you managed to be promoted to a leadership position, you get benefits and a 401K. The job helps you learn basic skills in digital media to be able to pursue jobs in design and web production.
Cons
The CBS Sports Digital brand has lost a lot of business over the past several years, which unfortunately has led to layoffs in certain departments like tech and design. I saw few to zero women promoted to managerial and leadership positions in my department. A big problem is that the director and managers are disconnected with their employees and promote the wrong people. Managers are quick to judge and that first impression sticks with a person throughout their time there. I saw some people who struggled during training or asked too many questions be discounted for promotions later on, even though they grew into their roles. Most of the managers have odd personalities and can be difficult. They will not hesitate to throw an employee under the bus. Those who play office politics, i.e., be a "yes man" have more success. It's all about "playing the game," which is a disadvantage for some like the more serious or introverted worker. Regrettably, people who don't play the game are often marginalized or even bullied and their ideas are not heard. I hope the experience in my office doesn't represent the values of the CBS Interactive brand as a whole, but I found this particular work environment almost toxic and was grateful to move on to a different company.
