Members of the inner circle receive full protection and benefits from the company while having zero responsibilities from their actions. They hug information, lie, manipulate and bully anyone who they dislike. Managers collaborate in the bullying due fear of becoming victims themselves. If you decide to stand up against the abuse, managers (and HR) will make your life miserable until quits or gets fired. They will collect any information they can in hopes to kick you out.
As an outsider of the inner circle, you'll never get a raise, prospects, real training or benefits; however, you're expected to be a "hero" and sacrifice yourself without complains.
Those above you'll take credit for your hard work plus ideas unless they end in failure.
Any promises from your manager(s) will not be granted and will remain in the limbo. One technique commonly used by managers is to dig dirt from your you and your co-workers. For example, lets say you had a miscommunication (not a fight), which later you clarified, no big deal. When you manager find out, he or she will use that as an excuse to not fulfill the promise(s). The issue will be inflated and make into a huge deal. So, be careful what you say and make sure your teammates are careful too.
Prior ending a project, another project will show up as an emergency. Therefore, everyone will end working extra hours trying to finish the current project and start the new project. As always, the promise would be that they would stop doing that since it was burning us out. When we succeed on doing a great job, we would be rewarded with... more work.
All rumors about the future of the company are true. If a rumor is denied, at the "All Hands" meeting, it'll become true. Don't let them fool you. Management are pathological liars.
Minorities be aware: there is no pay equality nor benefits equality. You are a second class citizen. Are you a foreign on a work visa? They'll squeeze you until you are an empty shell of your former self then kick you out (visas and green cards only for those at the inner circle).
Bad reviews trigger witch hunts plus a formal request to employees to leave positive reviews to counter.
Even in this year, 2019, I reach to my old co-workers (those that still remain) and they share that some are trying to change this but there is no enough momentum. Too much toxic in the environment.
