Glassdoor Reviews

Pros

Huge market opportunity, strong & passionate teammates & transparent leadership. Honestly, I'm not sure I've worked for a better company anywhere else. I am genuinely excited to come to work and see my colleagues, and work together to build on the opportunities here in EMEA. The overall team is very supportive and there is very little pettiness which is pretty rare in a Sales environment.

Cons

Don't hold back addressing negativity across teams. As we grow quickly, we need to remember to stay positive and focused on the longer term goals.

Advice to Management

As we continue our hyper growth across EMEA, it's important to remember where we came from as a company. I understand our culture will evolve, but remember to continue the transparency and company mission that made our brand what it is today.

Pros

Glassdoor UK and EMEA in general is still small - sub 100 people. We celebrate successes and there is a feeling of a close-knit team. Relaxed working environment and pay is good. Over the years Glassdoor has been slowly investing in core benefits like health insurance and pension. We work with some of the largest and most exciting brands in the world, and we truly are providing a service that helps people make... better decisions - Glassdoor's mission is strong and people believe in what we do, which comes across in how we do business with clients. International expansion is the biggest investment for the company, and being in EMEA is exciting. Senior leadership in the US is accessible and bright.

Cons

Very hierarchical structure in EMEA, especially in sales - there are Manager, Director, Sr Director and VP levels in place, yet the org is tiny in number of employees as of now. Several of these leadership hires were made externally, without the roles being posted internally to provide opportunity to grow despite this being a widely discussed pain point for employees. ~90% of the senior leadership team in EMEA is... male (Director & above). Politics, lack of straightforward communication are becoming the norm, and we're too small for that. After over 5 years of operating in the UK, Glassdoor continues not to have clear career progression in sales, assuming sales people want to be sales people for the rest of their lives. Lastly, there is no competitive maternity policy in place - 6 weeks partially paid leave followed by statutory pay. This does not attract strong female talent or incentivize it to stay.

Advice to Management

Think about who sits at the EMEA leadership table and whose voices and input shape the future of Glassdoor EMEA. We're at a critical place in our growth, moving from a small chaotic startup to a grown up business making a difference in the industry. Millions of candidates and our clients come to us daily to understand what the gold standard for employee experience is - let's lead by example and create a workplace... that reflects what we tell other brands each day. Embrace transparency again, put in place a comprehensive parental leave policy and diversify the voices around the table by allowing people to grow and develop from within the company.

Pros

I joined Glassdoor 2 months ago and have no regrets at all. My new colleagues have all been very welcoming, supportive and clearly know what they are doing. Not just from my own office, but this includes people throughout the organisation - from the ones I met during the onboarding process in Chicago to my colleagues based in Dublin. Being in sales, the product itself is fundamental to the pride I feel... at work and whether I see a career in an organisation or not. Since joining Glassdoor I have met multiple clients from a variety of industries and the huge majority have been extremely happy with the product and service delivered. For me, this is so important and fills me with confidence in the decision I made to leave my last company and join Glassdoor. I've personally experienced working for a company during its hyper-growth stage and loved it. My job now allows me to be part of a similar journey at Glassdoor, which is so exciting. It is truly a great time to be at Glassdoor!

Cons

Obviously, when a company is growing at such a pace then you will have growing pains and certain challenges. But to be honest that is what excited me about joining Glassdoor and what keeps my job interesting. Each day brings new challenges, but if your head is in the right place and you are prepared to work hard, then the satisfaction of genuinely contributing to the success of a business outweighs any negatives.

Advice to Management

As we grow across all departments, hiring the right people at the right time is crucial to our success. Let's make sure our employees aren't too stretched before we start the hiring cycle. Being proactive rather than reactive.

Pros

I’ve been at Glassdoor London from the very scrappy and gritty beginning. I love that the scrappy and gritty culture remains a key component of our identity in the London office. We’re a “small” group of ~20 which for some of us seems like a HUGE group. That said, the size of the group fosters a sense of family and togetherness across teams and functions. Needless to say there’s banter, laughs, singing and a... celebration of our individual differences, quirks and the diversity of the very multinational group. You can generally twist someone’s arm to go for a cheeky beverage or few at one of the plethora of watering holes in the local area. Our shiny new office is perfectly located for after work cheekies and offers up endless options for lunch on the Southbank, Borough Market and Flat Iron Square to name but a few. Summer drinks on the Southbank have been quite the treat these past few weeks. The outlook for the business is very bright especially since the Recruit acquisition was confirmed. International was already slated to be the focus for this and future years so the news of the acquisition fills us with even more excitement for what’s to come particularly for us in the international markets. Accelerated growth and even more opportunity is clearly on the horizon which makes us an even more attractive “startup” for talent with a desire to make a noticeable impact on a technology company on the upward trajectory of accelerated growth.

Cons

There’s a lot of change in a very short space of time which can be overwhelming and is exacerbated by the pace at which we are growing and evolving in Europe. This is both a pro and a con dependent on your perspective. In this environment some will flourish and some will not but it is definitely a period where you need to buckle up and hold on tightly because we’re going places very fast!! We are still lacking... in some support functions but steps have been taken to address challenges around local IT, HR, Benefits etc.

Advice to Management

Continue to locally address the functional challenges we’ve been faced with. Continue to listen to your people and action change where possible. Keep the lines of communication open and please keep us abreast of future changes that have been earmarked based on the feedback you’ve garnered from internal surveys and reviews alike.

Pros

We're in a good place right now. The acquisition by Recruit Holdings has completed, the Sales and Growth teams are doing an excellent job and international expansion is at the top of the agenda. The next few years look very exciting in terms of opportunities for personal growth and new experiences. I am very much looking forward to Glassdoor launching in new markets and ramping up the whole EMEA operation. We've... got a lot of momentum right now and the backing of the senior leadership team. The new London office is cool and everyone in the team is smart, fun and hard-working. We have a strong EMEA leadership team and functional heads in London and Dublin. I wouldn't want to work anywhere else, right now.

Cons

I write a review of Glassdoor every year and this is the first year that I am struggling a little bit to find genuine cons. At least, cons that matter to me. Some would say that the benefits package could be improved further, but we have made good progress. Local IT support has been really poor, but we have already hopefully solved that issue with a new hire starting soon. HR support from head office has always... been a bit thin on the ground and many processes could do with improvement, but again, we have local HR support now and that should smooth things out going forward as that person untangles the mess.

Advice to Management

We've got the right people on the bus in EMEA to accelerate Glassdoor across the world. Keep giving us the budget and support we need to make the next chapter really successful and build on the foundations we have already established. I recognise and appreciate efforts to connect more frequently and meaningfully with the teams in London and Dublin.

Pros

Glassdoor EMEA is a small team, people genuinely care about one another and about the mission of the company. We work with the best brands in the world and we've been growing rapidly which means that no two days are the same on the job, regardless of which team you sit on - it's exciting to be part of that growth. The organization is fairly flat and the executive team in the US is welcoming of feedback, and over... the past few months has been communicating with more transparency with the EMEA group which has been well received - we're getting new offices in EMEA that are better aligned to the type of company Glassdoor is, and that's exciting.

Cons

There are cons that are associated with the growing pains of being a start up and they're not negatives as such but to someone coming from a larger organization those might be challenging - for example, working at Glassdoor EMEA is a demanding job and it is not your typical 9-5. It also requires that you roll up your sleeves and pitch in where help is needed, even if it's not in your direct area of expertise (that... means helping with external events, organizing team events to build culture and morale, etc). If you're not prepared to do that, this is not the place for you, at least at this stage of Glassdoor's growth. Glassdoor reacts very slowly to feedback - it reacts, which is appreciated, but it often takes months (and in some cases years) of mentioning certain challenges in order for senior management in the US to take action. We are still small enough - let's not wait until things get too dire. Then there are cons that in my opinion are preventing strong talent from staying and growing and they are the real challenges of Glassdoor EMEA - there are almost no opportunities for career progression (unless, in my opinion, you are an SDR and move into a sales / account management role) and it is a topic that does not get addressed well enough, especially for a company with the mission of Glassdoor. It is a topic that many people discuss amongst themselves and there is a general feeling of not being able to progress, but that management is vague about.

Advice to Management

Create a transparent path for career growth within EMEA and focus on investing in and developing your employees - and if that opportunity doesn't exist just yet, be open and honest about it. The message of "long term there will be tons of opportunities, when we go into new markets etc" is not helpful and does not allow people to grow within the company and to feel like year after year they are valued and supported... to develop their career in a direction that makes them feel satisfied at work, especially as at the same time we search externally for local management.

Pros

Depending on the role you have at Glassdoor, you can own, market, sell or develop a product which is not only highly influential but one that everyone wants to talk to you about. Pretty cool right? How often do you get to say you’re working for a business which is truly disrupting an industry? Well, Glassdoor is. And, at the very least, a job here will mean you immediately become an attractive candidate to all sorts... of companies, from small start-ups right through to larger established businesses looking for someone with experience in a top-tier US-based tech company. After more than two years, I remain as committed as ever to the business because as well as always trying to be a loyal employee, I also believe and understand the mission. That’s of utmost importance. If you don’t believe in the mission here (or are not a good fit), you won’t last very long. This company is extremely agile and can make quick decisions if they notice something isn’t quite right. I like that. Personally, I work with an exceptional bunch of individuals from my senior leaders based in our San Francisco HQ to my colleagues and friends here in the London office. Our CEO is seriously impressive, authentic and transparent, will give you face time if needed and makes an effort to get to know you. In my experience, the same can also be said for our senior leaders who now come to London/Dublin on a quarterly basis. Perform (or try new things) and you’ll be handsomely rewarded. Hide and you’ll get found out.

Cons

We’ve spoken and Glassdoor has listened. Both London and Dublin office spaces are being upgraded and the benefits structure is being looked at across both European teams to fit the needs of most. I think HR/senior leaders will be the first to admit that they dropped the ball in terms of setting up a competitive EMEA benefits package when we launched a few years ago, but it’s great that we’ve all had frank and open... conversations about putting this right. This was a major con, but slowly we’re getting there. In terms of benefits, perks and office spaces, we are still some way off the likes of Facebook, LinkedIn, Expedia, AirBnB, Uber et al. And that’s okay, because we are just not there yet as a business. But, if that’s what you’re after/expecting, simply don’t apply and come back in five years. Our founders also started Expedia, so they know what they need to do to get to that level.

Advice to Management

The positive shift in terms of PR, sales performance and general sentiment for Glassdoor across the UK, in particular, is palpable. Continue to grow certain teams in Europe and give us the tools we need to support monetisation of the business. We want to help make Glassdoor the most high-profile and successful job site across EMEA.

Pros

I loved coming in to work every day. The team are all so lovely and respectful and the work environment is great. Everyone is very driven about the Glassdoor mission and very passionate about their work. Glassdoor as an employer is super flexible and appreciates the work/life balance of their employees. You also get a lot of opportunity at Glassdoor to use your skills and develop professionally. It's still in many... ways a start-up which clearly isn't for everyone but really what difference do you expect to make at the alternative, a 10k+ employees professional network company based in central London? If you want to really contribute and feel like your work makes a difference then you should work for Glassdoor. The direct management in my team was very supportive, great mentors and anything but micro-management. Generally Glassdoor doesn't really do micromanagement which also means you should know to manage yourself. Other pros are the competitive salary, great office location, nice team events, progression and autonomy. Talking for the London office, I wouldn't say the negative reviews really give an accurate idea of the work environment. There's challenges that come with any start-up but most comments do not resonate with my experience in any way. I can truly recommend Glassdoor to anyone that is looking for a meaningful job, with tons of learning opportunities, room for growth, amazing colleagues and a healthy work environment.

Cons

I had no reason whatsoever to leave on my own initiative for above reasons but the company decided to let me go due to focus shift away from most EMEA markets. Very disappointing and sad but I respect tough decisions need to be made in order to move the business forward - although in all modesty I believe this was a poor decision made by higher management as I (as well as my colleagues in the other markets) build up... tons of relationships within industry and media landscape that will be hard to rebuild when focus will be shifting back to those markets. In addition to that we took on so many different tasks outside of our original jobs such as sales, marketing, pr, etc. (which I loved as never a day was the same), while getting paid for 1 which is a pretty good deal for the company I'd say. It's like spending ages on building a sand castle and then kicking it in. What monster does that, no offense. Anyway I'm all for flexible redundancy rules but perhaps in a more constructive way.

Advice to Management

If you need to let go of loyal employees, give them the opportunity to properly wrap up. All of us who were made redundant, had to pack our bags and go. I have been a happy advocate for Glassdoor and was 100% on board of the mission and made great progress to make a success of my market. Having to leave so abruptly with no notice or chance to finish things off, is the last thing I expected from a company like... Glassdoor and what it preaches. Not only does this put Glassdoor in a bad light with partners and clients as all of a sudden they lost their main contact they spoke to every week (in their own language), it is also personally and professionally damaging for us and the network we built up. Otherwise my main advice would be value the employees that are left in the EMEA team as they are such hard and dedicated workers who are confronted with many more challenges than in the head office and rarely complain except perhaps about the coffee machine which is totally legitimate. You have lost great talent (talking generally here, I am not Kanye West) that will remain to impact the long-term international strategy, but value the strong professionals working for you and oh yeah never remove focus from PR because your global PR is the most impressive team ever and really sets Glassdoor apart as a company. Media loves the stories, the research, the data and what Glassdoor does. Otherwise keep doing what you do