Findmypast Reviews
79% would recommend to a friend
(108 total reviews)
Found 108 of over 114 reviews
Updated 3 Nov 2023
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Excerpts from user reviews, not authored by Glassdoor
- "Colleagues are friendly, collaborative and passionate about what they're working on (reflected in our recent values)." (in 8 reviews)
- "The management team and senior leadership team seem very fake, as they act one way to your face and another behind your back." (in 3 reviews)
- "It can sometimes be hard to communicate shared intentions & energies consistently to the other offices but Findmypast has recently adopted an increased use of Google hangouts and tries hard to improve communication." (in 3 reviews)
- 5.021 Jul 2023Software EngineerCurrent Employee, more than 1 yearLondon, England
Pros
A good mentoring program, company culture is great, remote first work is amazing, supports women getting into tech, senior developers are always willing to share their knowledge with more junior developers
Cons
salaries are not amazing but the pros compensate this by far
Findmypast Response2moThanks for your feedback. It's great to hear about your positive experience so far, and to hear that our values and culture are accelerating your learning experience. Keep the feedback coming! Sarah - CPO
- 1.03 Nov 2023Anonymous EmployeeFormer EmployeeLondon, England
Pros
The good pension benefit is the only pro I can think of.
Cons
I joined Findmypast with enthusiasm, looking forward to contributing to a company that helps people connect with their history. Unfortunately, my experience was marred by a culture that, on the surface, presented itself as friendly but was anything but. Senior management operated with a distinct disconnect from the rest of the staff, often coming off as bullies rather than leaders. Suggestions were met with condescension, and there was a palpable air of favoritism that left many feeling undervalued and marginalized. Communication was another major issue; it was opaque at best. Decisions that affected our work were made in silos, and the trickle-down information was often too little, too late. This lack of transparency fueled a culture of uncertainty and stress among the teams. The workload was excessive, pushing employees to the brink without acknowledgment or support. The ‘always-on’ expectation led to burnout and a high turnover, which seemed to perpetuate a cycle of urgency and pressure rather than encouraging a sustainable pace and environment for growth. The touted ‘friendly’ culture felt orchestrated, with genuine camaraderie and team spirit being rare. Any dissent or feedback seemed to be quietly stifled, creating an environment where many felt they had to wear a mask to simply fit in. For those seeking a truly inclusive and nurturing workplace that values personal growth and open communication, I found Findmypast to be several steps behind. It was professionally disappointing, and I would advise prospective employees to consider these factors seriously before joining.
1 - 5.028 Jun 2023Junior Software EngineerCurrent Employee, more than 1 yearLondon, England
Pros
Working at Findmypast is an incredible experience for me as a junior software engineer. The company provides a supportive environment that encourages continuous learning, professional growth, and personal development. I am fortunate to work in a place that truly believes in its employees and empowers them with ownership and trust. From day one, I felt welcomed and supported by my colleagues. The senior members of the team are approachable, patient, and always willing to share their knowledge. The culture at Findmypast encourages asking questions, seeking guidance, and engaging in open discussions, which has significantly accelerated my learning curve. At Findmypast, I have truly felt a sense of ownership over my work. The company recognizes and values the contributions of each team member, regardless of their level of experience. This sense of responsibility has motivated me to take initiative, be proactive, and deliver high-quality results. Working at Findmypast as a junior software engineer is a remarkable journey. The opportunities for learning and growth, combined with the support and trust, make Findmypast an outstanding employer. If you are seeking a place where you can expand your skill set, learn from experienced professionals, and be given ownership over your work, I truly recommend considering Findmypast as your next career destination.
Cons
One aspect of Findmypast is the option to work in the office, which can be beneficial for encouraging face-to-face interactions and building stronger team connections. However, the presence of colleagues from different countries within the same team can pose difficulties in bringing everyone together physically. This geographical dispersion can sometimes delay the seamless collaboration and communication that is essential for effective teamwork.
Findmypast Response6moSincere thanks for taking the time to leave this feedback - I'm truly delighted to hear that this has been your experience to date. Also thank you for your thoughtful comments regarding the challenges of navigating a remote-first culture - we know there's lots that works, but we also recognise there's more to do to make working from different locations as seamless and collaborative as possible.
- 5.026 Jun 2023Senior Engagement ManagerCurrent Employee, less than 1 year
Pros
Working at FMP has, for the last six months, been a joy. There have been clear goals that are realistic, achievable and sensible. Colleagues are helpful, make great suggestions and everyone seems united to common objectives. Strong work/life balance. Leadership is friendly and approachable. Strong emphasis on learning & development - we all get 1 hour a day of learning time which is a great resource to learn new skills.
Cons
If you're not based in London or Dundee sometimes it can mean a bit of a trek / cost to get to the office when there are meetings that need to be face to face (once every six / eight weeks or so).
Findmypast Response5moThank you so much for this feedback. I particularly like that you mentioned, "It's been a joy". I think I may have worked out who this review is from, so I can safely say - you get back what you put in and you're a joy to work with. You have such a responsible 'can do" attitude. You have constructive feedback that is always delivered with positive intent. You also mentioned our learning hour, although we are all busy, taking the time to be curious and learn helps both yourself and everyone in the wider team, so I'm glad that you're really seeing the value. I appreciate your honesty concerning travel to the office, as you say it's not all the time and once every 6/8 weeks to get together with teammates feels super valuable. It really helps build relationships, trust, and a general understanding of the people you're working with. I hope you're getting the most out of those face-to-face meetings, I do when I'm in the office meeting teams. Thanks again for the company feedback - it's always welcome. Best Sam Otter COO
- 2.01 Oct 2022ManagerCurrent Employee, more than 3 years
Pros
Findmypast is not a bad place to work. The hours are reasonable and the culture is accommodating, especially regarding childcare.
Cons
Overall, Findmypast feels quite lost. There is no clear strategy coming from the leadership team. Long-term, we clearly can't win against our big competitors, especially given the lack of trust the exec team has in the everyone around them. Salaries are below average. They want to hire senior talent for junior salaries and are surprised if roles are turned down over and over again. There is a lack of internal promotions which is leads to good people leaving. Those that stay have been in junior roles for years and years. This leads to a big majority of the workforce being made up of people without real ambition - and you can tell by their work. Those who are great at their job usually don't stick around for very long. FMP is a small company with processes of a big corporation - meaning nothing ever gets done, and any innovations is squashed by the board. There is also extreme micromanagement which holds the company back. If you are looking to learn, grow your career, excel at your craft, this is not the place for you. If you want to relax, do a bit of work and get your monthly (below average) paycheck, this is the place to go.
4Findmypast Response2yThank you for your thoughts. Reading your feedback, there are things I recognise, such as our commitment to flexible working for families, but also much that I don’t recognise. I’m sorry that you’re feeling unclear of the plan and would love to hear more about what you need to gain clarity. We already hold company-wide weekly synchs and monthly All Hands meetings to look at the plan together and track how we’re performing, as well as team meetings and listening sessions, but if there’s more that we need to do then I would welcome the opportunity to discuss that with you. Regarding promotions and compensation, I’m surprised by your perception - the reality is that we are in-line with industry standards and salary benchmarks and are actually investing more in this area than ever before, recently rolling out a new career progression framework across the business. Finally, with regard to employee motivation - I feel energised by the people I work with and privileged to work with such capable teammates. I would love to learn more about how your experience as a manager differs to mine, to understand more about how the exec team can help to spread that feeling more effectively through the manager community at Findmypast - Sarah
- 5.09 Jul 2023Junior Software DeveloperCurrent EmployeeLondon, England
Pros
- Welcoming culture - Learning hour every day - Flexible working - Highly knowledgeable and friendly coworkers - Growth and learning opportunities - Initiatives to improve wellbeing, inclusion and progression opportunities
Cons
- Sick pay after 6 months, although probation period is only 3 months - The company could take more direct actions to improve wellbeing, inclusion and progression opportunities
Findmypast Response2moThank you for your feedback. While I'm pleased to hear that you find so much that is positive, I also really appreciate you flagging where we can improve. We are actively looking at the areas you mention, and will keep colleagues informed as we strive to improve our policies. Sarah - CPO
- 5.016 May 2023Head of CommunityCurrent Employee, less than 1 yearLondon, England
Pros
From a focus on actually supporting mental health, and fostering a good work life balance, to learning and development time and a positive and open culture, FMP is a lovely place to work. From top down leadership are approachable and friendly, wider teams are accommodating, understanding and on the whole working toward the same mission - championing values and putting customers first.
Cons
As a remote first company its harder to meet wider teams, however, offices with hot desking, meet ups and regular in person team meetings really help with this.
1Findmypast Response7moSo glad you're enjoying being part of the Findmypast team. Work-life balance has scored so highly in our employee engagement survey, so it's no surprise you think the same. Our culture is really important to us. Our behaviours of - listen and respectfully challenge, investing in each other, and our continuous alignment of goals ensures have a great place to work. It's so true, it's much harder to build relationships and meet people in a remote-first company but the team meets up are so vital in building that great team connection and trust. Thanks for your honest feedback Sam Otter COO
- 4.03 Apr 2023Junior Software EngineerCurrent Employee, more than 1 year
Pros
- FMP is a great place to learn; they offer an hour each day in learning time, and employees are strongly encouraged to use this time. They also offer access to LinkedIn learning, which is a great resource. - There is a strong coaching culture; the more senior staff members are great at coaching and teaching juniors. They’re also always happy to help and share resources - There is a real sense of teamwork and shared responsibility - Pretty much everyone is friendly, supportive, and welcoming - It’s a very interesting product, and they have some great plans to improve it. They also have some great partners, such as the British Library - There are a handful of men within the company who recognise the challenges that women face in tech and take responsibility for this problem
Cons
• They offer very few social events. Having a remote-first policy does pose challenges, but this is something that appears to have been overlooked • Promotions and recruitment have been frozen for over 6 months, leading to a great deal of uncertainty for staff • There isn’t really culture of staff recognition, e.g., celebrating achievements, or giving feedback outside of bi-annual 360’s. Their only effort in this space is holding a recurring meeting every Friday, in which they repeat messages from a slack channel • Like many other tech companies, they have a diversity problem. There is a lack of women in engineering, especially in senior and management positions. As most of their engineering staff are white, middle-aged men, there is a culture of diversity being someone else’s problem
Findmypast Response8moThank you so much for this feedback. I'm pleased to hear you're benefitting from the focus we put on learning and the supportive culture we try to foster. I'm also really pleased to see you highlight the continued need for focus and action around improving diversity in technology. While it's true to say that it remains an ongoing challenge, our technology leadership team are always looking for opportunities to improve - examples: our recent partnership with Code First Girls has been a concrete step to draw from a new talent pool, and we have our D&I working group and Women in Engineering group in place to try engage more effectively with the perspectives and experiences of different members of our team. Voices like your own are so important to help us to succeed and grow, and so I hope that you will continue to give feedback that can help to shape the company into a more rich and diverse workplace. - Sarah
- 2.014 Mar 2023Product DesignerFormer Employee
Pros
Not many reasons. Some of the colleagues not in management are nice.
Cons
There are quite a few issues at FindMyPast. At my time working there, I was struck by how toxic the culture is. The management team and senior leadership team seem very fake, as they act one way to your face and another behind your back. The head of design likes to micromanage and doesn’t seem to be an effective leader. The discussions about becoming a B corp or moving to a 4 day work week are all distractions to the real issues in the company. Do not recommend working here.
Findmypast Response9moThanks for your feedback and I'm sorry to hear that your short time at Findmypast wasn't an entirely positive experience. We want everyone to have a great experience while they're working here, whether it works out as their longer-term home or not. I hope you took the time to share your thoughts in detail in your exit interview, or if you've had further thoughts about our onboarding and probation processes since you left, that you reach back out to share with our People team. Good luck for the future and hope you've found a better fit in your next role - Sarah, CPO.
- 5.018 Jan 2023Anonymous EmployeeCurrent Employee, more than 8 years
Pros
- People at all levels are friendly, caring and have a positive mindset. - A genuine interest in continuous improvement and doing things better. - Career development and learning is taken seriously. Everyone gets an hour a day of personal learning time, and there is a clear career progression framework for engineers. - An interesting product, with a wide variety of technical problems to work on, e.g. front-end UI/UX, back-end services, big data, devops etc. - In engineering, we follow modern devops practices, with CI/CD, automated testing, fast deployment times, pair programming etc.
Cons
Findmypast is owned by DC Thomson. This influences some of the business decisions we take and there's a tendency to be quite risk averse. It brings some security/stability but can make certain things harder to do, especially in terms of salaries and long-term investments.
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Findmypast has an overall rating of 4.1 out of 5, based on over 114 reviews left anonymously by employees. 79% of employees would recommend working at Findmypast to a friend and 61% have a positive outlook for the business. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.
79% of Findmypast employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews. Employees also rated Findmypast 4.5 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.3 for culture and values and 3.6 for career opportunities.
