I work for a startup consulting firm. We have a pretty lucrative (single) client that we have been working with for awhile. There were issues but things got done. Fast forward to now and the contract was changed and the workload was significantly increased. We increased staff to compensate but we have reached a point of diminishing returns. The project itself (at least to my eyes) is fundamentally flawed at its core. We overpromised what we were capable of by a fairly considerable amount and goals have been missed for multiple months in a row and things are only getting worse.
I don’t think a single employee is happy including management. My manager also happens to be a friend of many years and they have become very cold and distant towards me. I have some mental health issues and I feel rejection quite strongly so it’s really taking a toll. We just have the single client and with how the project is going I don’t see a clear way to success. My guess is that the entire thing will just eventually implode if it hasn’t already.
I already plan on leaving hopefully before it fails. One of my main reasons is to try and salvage my friendship. Having a manager as a friend is hard to navigate.