By the time I'm writing this, I had been working for 11 years, 4 companies; from a well established to a startup I had seen and experienced many toxicity in workplace but I had never thought I would face as something as audacity as this one.
I remember when I begin my first job (in the animation industry) I was anxious and find the working industry to be nerve wreaking. At that time my mental illness was still undiagnosed and I did not realised my need to prove myself stemmed from this. Worst this company exploited fresh grads; they would tell us that working in the company will secured good resume (which is somewhat true, my resume now including Disney and Cartoon Network projects), good benefits (the workplace design is indeed whimsical and fun, plus several game consoles are available for us to play) and they told us that we won't find other good job as them - this is the BIGGEST lie they told us.
However what they didn't told us is what they exploited us. To begin with, my base salary was mere Rm900. At that time I was naive, I didn't know the base should be higher so my salary increment would be higher as well. The rest of the salary went to so called "benefits". Now when we talk about benefits, there's barely any. To begin with I learnt just before I arrived, contract workers were not given SOCSO (The Social Security Organisation) benefits! The only reason they finally implemented this is because a former employee (who happens to be a son of an affluent family) threaten to take them to the court. During my time we were not allowed to take more than 3 days off, not even during religious festivals. They took the most minimum mandate public holidays, meaning when most Malaysian enjoying public holidays, we'll be working. They also did not pay OT and they justified that they never ask anyone to OT but we know too well if we did not OT, there's no way we will hit our weekly quota. Hell we even believe they purposely set unreasonable quota so they would have reason not to play us bonus.
At this point I had been working for 3 years and my salary didn't even hit Rm2k. After several incidents I finally decided to give them the middle finger.
To begin with they would often chastised my work performance. They never once praise me nor my team. One time I was ill but I still went to work. I even let them know this but instead of being sympathetic, I was chastised for low work performance and one of the heads even said, "You're one of our powerhouse, why are you performing low?". THIS PISSED ME OFF! I had stated I was ill and this is one of the few times I couldn't performed well and yet they acted like I hadn't been performing. This is more obvious when they refer me to one of their powerhouse - a fact they only say when I was performing low, never once when I was doing well. Then one time my incompetent, lazy ass leader wasn't even aware the files that was given to us have fatal errors. I was the one who noticed it on the 3d day (out of 5 days deadlines) and to make sure not to create any drama, I pmed my leader rather that mentioning it in a group chat. But rather being grateful for noticing and didn't messaged in the group, she was mad, angry that I didn't notice it sooner. I'm like WTF, that's was supposed to be her job! Not mine! And finally this one project; I begin to work on the background during halfway of the seasin but for the post production I did everything and yet I received 0 bonus! Reason? I only work on the background for half of the season - they completely disregarded my hardwork managing the post production!
So FUCK YOU ******* SDN BHD! HOPE YOU BURN TO HELL.
Too bad I don't think that would happen anytime soon, sadly people in Malaysia still lack awareness of worker rights, especially in the animation industry. I realised everyone in the animation industry in Malaysia are terribly exploited and paid low...
Then I begin my 2nd job, a startup company. Nothing much to talk here. The environment was pleasant and that's why I sticked around for 5 years. The only downside with startup company tho, is disorganisation and lacking proper SOPs. Plus my company setup by developers thus they really lacking understanding what visual people needed; we didn't even have art director/lead and the visual people had been working like a headless chicken. While the environment is pleasant, I learnt nothing in the past 5 years and I realised I had been doing the same thing, which didn't look good for my portfolio.
I then begin my 3rd job. Again the office workplace design is creative and whimsical, a lot more whimsical and fun than my first job workplace. I also make friends with most of people there. The downside tho I find the upper-ups, while competent but rather rude; they wouldn't even hesitate the shout at your face. And when I come it was a quite unfortunate timing; the visual department lead just quit and we somehow become a bit like a headless chicken. To be honest the situation here is not as bad as Inspidea but I wasn't at a good place; I broke up with my partner of 10 years, I just started a new relationship but was thrust into LDR due to Covid and during this period our relationship was deteriorating, I barely have physical interactions with my new officemates due to Covid. I was in isolation. Eventually I couldn't handle the office works nor the shoutings. I was seriously burned out and unable to produce any works...so I quit after just 2 years.
For the first time in my life I was so happy to be jobless. I have enough savings to stay jobless for at least 2 years. During my time jobless the unthinkable happened, Malaysia lifted the travel ban! My current partner and I immediately head to Amsterdam to meet up.
After the trip I was mentally rejuvenated tho I still prefer to remain jobless. My bank account however, disagreed - thus I was in scramble to find job again. And this is how I landed to my 4th job.
After my previous experiences, I am determined not to go to startup companies. I went through job offers throughly and only applied those had been well established. I eventually landed into few before settling to one. But I admit I did feel cheated on my first day reporting for work; while the company was indeed established in 2007, I wasn't told they have several parent companies and I will be put under their latest startup - which not even a year old. I accepted regardless because first I literally found out on the day I come to report and sign contract and I had been told the visual department have an experienced art lead, something I had been longing for awhile.
But what I didn't see coming is the level of toxicity in this company. It even surpassed my first job! To begin with the head of the company is someone somewhat unqualified but getting paid with 5 digits (don't ask how I found this out). I am fine if people didn't really understand nor know doing their job as long they willing to listen and learn but not in this case, the head is egoistic, manipulative and somehwat megalomaniac.
First of all I noticed he would not listen to anyone, not even to the people he hired specialising in the role, he would fired competent people who willing to take initiative or questioned him. Alternatively he would make their life a living hell till they quit. Everyone in his team are incompetent and that's how he wanted it; he want yes men in his team so he would look good and will have all projects goes his way.
However he would go around our art lead, lamenting how dysfunctional his team and he needs help. Basically manipulating my easily sympathetic art lead...while most of us know how much he hate our art lead as he is well liked and trusted by our director.
This is when the nightmare begin. He would made the visual team not only working on the visual but we too have to come up marketing plan and campaigns - which was supposed to be his team job! Not going to lie I don't mind doing the marketing job but I was only paid to do the visual; basically I am doing 2 job but paid with 1. Over time I begin to realise from time to time whenever his ass is on fire, he would randomly pulled the visual team to do his projects. Worst part? Most of the things he made us do needed weeks or even months to do and yet he made us do in the shortest time possible. My team was overworked, lacked of sleep and we starting to become moody and fights among us had become common.
Throughout the months working with him I can't tell if he is incompetent or just want to make our life a living hell (because that's really his forte), he seems didn't even know what he wants; he would gave us guidelines but if we followed too closely he would chastised us for not being creative but if we decided to be do outside the box he would chastised us for not following the guidelines. For a period we all suffering imposter syndrome, we thought we were not performing well in our jobs, we were depressed - until - we all begin to realise to him we just can do right. One of us eventually asked what he really want and she asked as cicil as she could - and yet - the responses he gave was with shouting and deflected all the questions. It's too obvious he felt his ego being challenged. At this point we are at wits end.
He one time even have the audacity to call us incompetent! My team pointed out that we worked with many projects and all wrapped well EXCEPT his. So tell us, who is the problematic one here? Our team or him?
We suspected he purposely made our life a living hell so we would let go the project we are currently working on and he will have full control of it. Our team couldn't care less if he wants the project, he can have it but our art lead voiced out his concerns; if our project is taken away, we will be labelled as incompetent to the point losing the project, thus effecting our KPI. But we also realised by staying in the project to get constantly rejected, it will stay the same, it effected our KPI. We are literally at lose-lose situation, whatever we do it effected our KPI and we are not getting bonuses despite lacking of sleep and overworked because everything will ended up being rejected. Also by now we hardly have anything published as all our works being rejected.
We also had been telling him that his team had been providing terrible materials. We managed to catch him not even go through all the materials provided by his team, he blindly approved them and when we come up with the visuals he become mad to us. After we managed to prove the issues are from his side instead of us, he apologised - but we can tell he is only sorry because he was caught.
And remember I mentioned he had been rejecting our ideas and design? Again his ass was on fire when our director announced a sudden presentation. My team was celebrating, they believed he will finally get into trouble. I didn't celebrate tho, I somehow predicted he will pull something out AND I was right; he made us stopped working on our current project and do several things for him (of course, same cycle as usual). During the presentation to the director we were shocked when he was presenting his ideas - because they are were the ideas we presented to him months ago that ended up with rejection. Basically he is using all our rejected ideas to present as his!
This is too much! And he thinks he is being manipulative but I think almost everyone can see his game. Whenever our art lead praise us, the head would say something to make him feel down. He would go around 'lamenting' his problems and responsibilities as the head plus his personal life but I know too well this is just his game to gain sympathy from us. Because 99% after his 'laments' he would drop bombs, usually a last minute tasks that needs to be settled asap.
Another thing I never told anyone in this office that I's still keep in touched with the people who left. There are 4 people left during my time here and the head had been presented them as the "problematic people". Even after months they had left he still brought them up from time to time and that made me feel uncomfortable. It's obvious because they're not here so he can bashed them. But I know better; none of these people are problematic, they're competent people who dare stand up and challenged him.
Thus why, for the first time in my life I decided to quit less than 1 year working. I didn't like it, I would prefer to work at least a year but I don't think I can stand the bs anymore. Had this been my first job I would had stayed but by now I had been working for 11 years and I know I deserve better. I won't fall into the same trap I fell with my first job. Seriously after my first job I thought nothing can become worst but man how wrong I was. This is the worst job so far. I actually love all the projects I'm working here but I can't handle the bs anymore, especially one fun and peaceful team now are moody and depressed. This is very unhealthy for the mental health.
I also found out no one stayed for a year, everyone quit early due to this snake head.
Of course I didn't just quit, I had backup plan by joining my friend. Just hope the gamble work out and 5th time the charm!