Pluspunten
• Hybrid working arrangement – this is the only primary reason majority of the employees still remain with the company. • Some individual working team in the regions are still good and helpful. The region is fortunate to still have a small group of hardworking employees who continue to accept anything thrown at them, working relentlessly day and night (including overtime) to deliver for clients, although higher management often takes the credit. This group of employees rarely speaks up or dares to challenge the SLT as they need the paycheck.
Minpunten
There are many, especially in the recent 2 years.. I witnessed the decline of Tag from its former glory days, supported by a capable SEA leadership team (MD, former Regional Business Director, HR Business Partner, GADs, etc.), to its current state under an inexperienced and ineffective SEA leadership team (SLT, R. Business Director, HR, etc.). Employees across the region have suffered and struggled due to the lack of genuine support and concrete action. Why do I say “lack of actual help”? Because the SLT has become a NATO team – No Action, Talk Only. Every quarter, every year since mid 2023, they deliver big speeches and ambitious numbers, but their strategies and actions remain vague and numbers are sky high that is impossible to achieve. “Strength” of current SLT & BD: 1. Great at making speeches, but poor at execution and delivering results. 2. Skilled at showcasing themselves to upper management for personal recognition, while delegating all responsibilities - including those that should remain at their level - to subordinates. 3. Known for last-minute reviews of proposals or decks, often providing vague feedback and demanding urgent revisions without proper guidance and clear requirements, just hours before external presentations, even when drafts were submitted well in advance. 4. Frequently push responsibilities onto managers, account directors, and creatives - assigning targets and projects without offering clear strategy, direction, or guidance. They then report upwards as if they achieved great results, progress, etc. which does not reflect reality. 5. Inexperienced leadership - many within SLT lack relevant CP backgrounds, team management experience, client service experience, or the ability to build morale. They do not advocate for the team, focusing only on securing their own positions. 6. HR is ineffective - often feeling like interacting with a chatbot. Most queries are redirected to the support team in India, and if no answers are found, HR simply goes silent. This experience is echoed by many employees across the region. 7. Frequent hiring and firing have become the norm in the region. Significant resources are spent on bringing in new headcounts and positions that contribute little to actual business growth, while existing employees’ salary packages and well-deserved rewards remain overlooked. Additionally, the regions SLT holds countless redundant meetings. Agendas and content are repetitive, with the same information repackaged across different sessions. Managers are forced to repeat these meetings multiple times a week, which is utterly waste of time. Promotions and increments appear to be reserved mainly for SLT members or selective individuals. Despite citing lack of profitability as the reason for no bonuses, increments, or promotions for the wider team, some "preferred" individuals still receives yearly promotions and salary adjustments even though these individuals have clearly been delegating all responsibilities to others and just acting busy. We often miss the time before 2023, when we had strong leadership that are more fair, genuinely cared, leaders who guided, mentored, and conducted meaningful meetings that addressed issues in detail while supporting the team at all levels. Relationships then felt authentic. Unfortunately, Tag is no longer a place for growth, learning, or building genuine professional relationships. If you are comfortable navigating office politics and working under substandard leadership, but value a hybrid working arrangement (though not guaranteed), you may consider applying. Just be prepared for big promises and visions that rarely materialize.