Salary was low for the position offered compared to market rates, the lead of the department tried to justify the a lower than living wage by reinforcing the benefits offered (I was told that I don't need to make enough money to save anything because I have a pension plan - completely ignoring that I might want to save for things other than retirement) The leader of the department is 100% toxic and fosters a working environment with fear and power dynamics at play. Often, people were called out and embarrassed for their performance in plain sight/hearing distance of other employees. They hold biases and preferences towards people of the same race as them and treat others as disposable. From day 1, gossip ran rampant within the department, with whispers in hallways between all levels of staff, managers as well as union workers about the leadership in the Marketing department. You know you've signed up for the wrong job when people actively pull you aside on the first day to warn you what to watch out for the Executive Director and to stay on their "good side". That is messed up! The Executive Director on more than one occasion to me directly (quite early on after starting) actively spread gossip and had inappropriate conversations about the staff that made me uncomfortable, holding beliefs and values that uphold systemic exclusion and were downright cruel. I didn't respond in the way they had expected me to (I shut it down) but I believe it was a test to see if I was "team player" to this type of behaviour or not. I mentioned this upon my exit interview to HR and from what I could ascertain after my departure, nothing was done about it and more people in the marketing department continued to leave this organization. Furthermore, this is the only workplace in my professional career where an senior leadership member, Executive Director, spent the lion's share of their time demanding to see full details of their staff's calendars, micro-managing and expecting reports of every conversation had with others while not in their presence. It was borderline "controlling" and suffocating at times. Then, when you really needed support, clarity or direction (to be set up for success in your role) they would provide none or very little. In fact, at times it felt the Executive Director actively withheld key information, did things or said things behind my back to make it seem like I wasn't capable or able to do my job (when really, it was a lack of direction/support as a new person). They intentionally set me (and others on the team) up for failure or finger pointing or backstabbing on more than one occasion - usually in places and at times when their peers or those senior to them would never see it (and they could exercise their power as the most senior person). I recall sharing/previewing many projects/work with them, having their praises, but then randomly being called-out about things that were previously regarded/approved as "correct/great work". After this happened a couple of times, it was clear the Executive Director lacked the ability to take accountability for anything, even though they were micro-managing. It's always someone else's fault even though they are technically responsible for providing the conditions/environment and inputs needed for success in roles. Throws their team under the bus daily. It was the worst job I've ever had largely due to this person, who hired me in the first place. I really wanted to like my time at KPU, cause it's an amazing post secondary school and have done a lot of ground breaking work by way of Indigenous studies and truth and reconciliation. Plus, being an important gateway for newcomers to Canada who are pursuing their education.
