I'd think twice before deciding to work here - Anonymous Forward Financing Employee Review

1.0
Jan 15, 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The actual employees that work here are great. Before COVID, we had awesome happy hours and events, and I really enjoyed getting to know my team. My assumption is that these things will hopefully continue once it's safe to do so (post-COVID).

Cons

The leadership is really sub-par. They completely micromanage and don't have faith in their teams to actually do their jobs. Oversights is OK, but they have absolutely no faith in the people they hire. They talk about hiring "A Players" (which is a very outdated model that can lead to a lack of diversity), but then they don't trust these A Players to do their jobs. Our most senior leaders in the company are heavily involved in the day to day to the point where junior employees wonder why they are even here. When the pandemic hit, they had to lay off some employees, and furlough employees. That is hard for any company to go through. But the entire process was very poorly managed. The week after the first round of layoffs, we had a company-wide huddle, where our Event Planner played "Don't Stop Believing" as the introduction to the meeting. It was bizarre. For those of us that remained post-layoff and furloughs, we were forced to switch into different roles that promised career growth and opportunity. These were roles in completely different areas of the business. However, instead of being growth opportunities, they worked us to the bone and gave us no work life balance. I feel glued to my computer and work 60+ hour weeks. And I'm NOT compensated enough for that. Before I joined, they talked so much about their product - the Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) and how it came from a desire to help small businesses. The pandemic really showed us that it isn't the case at all. These customers often don't know what they are signing up for and Forward Financing takes advantage of that. I also don't understand why P&C asks people to fill out Glassdoor reviews. They're anonymous, but then somehow P&C will follow up to "check in" if you completed it. That's why I made my title on here Anonymous. If they are asking people to fill it out, it could be really obvious who it is, and that's why you see so many positive reviews on here. Honestly, I would not recommend working here. The cons far outweigh the pros.

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Forward Financing Response
5y
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We strive to build an environment where employees feel empowered to take ownership of their work, are listened to, and have a positive work/life balance. Our business was impacted by the sudden closure of many of our small business customers at the onset of COVID last spring. To make sure our customers could get the support they needed, we asked some employees to take on new responsibilities temporarily. However, no one at Forward Financing should be working 60+ hours a week at any time. We encourage candid feedback and provide multiple channels for employees to raise concerns, including anonymous feedback through Officevibe, scheduled monthly one-on-ones with members of the People & Culture Team, and regular check-ins with managers. Moving forward, we welcome you to share how you’re feeling through one of those channels so that we can address your concerns and make changes to your workload. When a customer receives funding from us, we explain the contract’s details over the phone to ensure they know what the product is and what they can expect from us. For example, when a customer’s revenue has decreased, we work with them to find a payment plan that works for their business. Over 90% of our 800+ Trustpilot reviews are 5 stars, and many comment on our great customer service and flexibility. We follow Glassdoor's best practices (https://www.glassdoor.com/employers/blog/employee-engagement-dos-donts/) by asking interviewees, new hires, and employees to share their feedback on Glassdoor. Our hope is that it gives future employees a sense of what it is like to work at Forward Financing, and that we can understand what is going well and what we can improve on. We never ask or require employees to share positive feedback - our only request is to submit an honest review. We’re committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in all that we do. We have an active DEI committee that meets regularly where ideas are shared and acted on to improve diversity in hiring. We welcome you to join our DEI community to share your thoughts on how we can improve our hiring process. If you would like to discuss this in more detail, please feel free to email peopleandculture@forwardfinancing.com. Every team member plays an important role at Forward Financing and in helping our customers, so we want to make sure that you and all employees feel supported and appreciated for your contributions.

Explore other reviews about Forward Financing

5.0
Jun 23, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Top-Tier Compensation & Resources: The company pays very well and genuinely invests in its employees by providing excellent resources to help us succeed. Incredible Culture & Team: My coworkers and team members are amazing, hardworking, and deeply dedicated. There is a strong sense of camaraderie, and we do truly meaningful work together every day. Fantastic Remote Environment: The remote work setup is seamless and highly effective, making it a wonderful place to work from anywhere. Rewarding Leadership: As a manager, it is incredibly fulfilling to support my team, solve problems for our customers, and cross the finish line on major tasks. I feel genuinely lucky to be a part of this organization.

Cons

Learning Curve & Operational Complexity: The environment is very fast-paced, and the product itself is highly complex. It takes a significant amount of time to learn the ins and outs, which naturally makes managing the operations space a bit challenging. Heavy Manual Workload: There are a lot of manual reviews required, which can lead to an increased workload for managers. Growing Pains: Right now, there is a lot of reliance on "tribal knowledge" and navigating gray areas. As the company continues to expand, leadership will need to prioritize building more standardized, scalable processes to ease the operational burden.

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Forward Financing Response
1d
Thank you for taking the time to share such a thoughtful review! It is wonderful to hear you feel so supported through our compensation and the resources we provide. Crossing the finish line on major tasks and solving tough customer problems is only possible when we truly work together as a team, so I am glad you get to experience that camaraderie every day. We also love that the remote environment is working so well for you. That’s exactly why we bring the whole company together twice a year for our Forward Palooza events, in addition to individual team offsites throughout the year, keeping those team bonds strong while enjoying the flexibility of working from anywhere. We really appreciate your candid notes on our operational growing pains. Learning a complex product is tough, and relying on informal knowledge or heavy manual reviews adds a lot to your plate. Documenting those gray areas and building scalable processes is a major priority for us as we continue to grow, and your feedback helps highlight exactly where we need to focus our efforts. Thank you for believing in our vision and for being such a wonderful part of the Forward team.
5.0
Jun 23, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Amazing company to work for. The team is incredibly supportive, and everyone is always willing to help and answer questions. The collaborative environment makes it easy to learn, grow, and feel valued as an employee. I truly appreciate the positive culture and the encouragement I receive from my colleagues and leadership.

Cons

None at this time. I am really enjoying my experience working here and look forward to continuing to grow with the company.

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Forward Financing Response
2d
Thank you for taking a moment to share your experience with us! It is wonderful to hear that you feel so supported by your coworkers and leadership. Creating an environment where people feel comfortable asking questions and learning from one another is exactly the kind of culture we strive for. We are so glad your experience has been overwhelmingly positive so far. If you ever do spot areas where we can improve, please do not hesitate to share - we always welcome the feedback. We also appreciate your advice on continuing to invest in our team as we expand. Taking care of the people behind our work is incredibly important to us and remains a top priority. Thank you for being such a great part of the team. We are excited to see you continue to grow with Forward!
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