- Expectations were high, which isn't a con in itself, but editors didn't have a good understanding how much work and time was required to produce the kind of ultra-specific (and carefully researched, and visually curated) results they were asking for.
- Communication could be poor (both in terms of frequency and clarity) and, at times, passive aggressive. Editors would sometimes give contradictory instructions or suddenly change directions mid-deadline on a piece they'd already assigned. They often seemed unwilling to compromise.
Communication between writers and editors was conducted strictly via email and a project management platform, and it was sometimes hard to get in touch with editors (who were writers' only contact and source of new assignments); if they were busy or the company was getting ready to launch a new product or service, they would just disappear for a few days or weeks without warning or explanation.
- Deadlines weren't always reasonable for the scope of each project.
- Perhaps this is due to the company's rapid growth, but everyone I had contact with seemed to be "flying by the seat of their pants," as the saying goes. Poor organization, poor communication, constant changes to processes, style guides, etc.: no one seemed to be able to make up their minds about how things should be done. The editor role had a high turnover rate; I worked with three different individuals in the course of of a year.
As the last straw, all the freelancers were notified (with very little warning) that the writing team was being dismantled as Canva took its content strategy in a new direction. I shouldn't have been surprised given the haphazard approach to content strategy and management that I had already observed.
