Toxic work environment - Operations Forward Employee Review

1.0
Jan 29, 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good salary and benefits but that was it.

Cons

Difficult to maintain work-life balance. Expected to respond to e-mails and messages during weekday evenings and weekends, and personal boundaries were rarely respected. Manager was constantly anxious and micromanaged my work. Lack of diversity, especially in leadership. The CEO had no EQ and insulted my work in front of my colleagues during my second week at the company. I was relieved when my time at the company ended and would not consider returning or recommend to a friend.

Explore other reviews about Forward

5.0
Jan 14, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Supportive and collaborative team, strong product mindset, clear goals, and respect for design. High ownership, trust, and autonomy. Leadership is open to feedback, and designers are involved in real product decisions, not just visuals.

Cons

Fast-paced environment with a lot of responsibility, which may not be ideal for someone looking for a slower or more structured workflow. Priorities can shift as the company grows, but this is typical for scaling teams.

3.0
Sep 30, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

1. Smart and friendly coworkers 2. Good engineering culture 3. Opportunities for growth

Cons

1. Not-profitable - Forward never found a working model to solve the problem, and anchored heavily on solutions that lacked market-fit evidence. Contradictory to the problem-focused culture at Forward. 2. The finance problems lead to urgency. Work was demanding and tough across the org. However, engineering velocity was not the problem to begin with, leading to a vicious cycle of unmet goals -> tighter deadlines. 3. Frequent and fundamental shifts in company priorities leading to disorganized sprints and planning. A lot of work were throw away despite long hours invested.

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