Refinery29 Employee Reviews about "work life balance"
44% would recommend to a friend
(18 total reviews)
Philippe von Borries
38% approve of CEO
Found 18 of over 269 reviews
Updated Oct 23, 2023
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Top Review Highlights by Sentiment
Excerpts from user reviews, not authored by Glassdoor
- "some of your coworkers are cool but they are probably not super friendly to you unless you are both the same level of peon" (in 10 reviews)
- "Very healthy work environment, I have yet to encounter nastiness, back stabbing, aggression" (in 4 reviews)
Ratings by Demographics
This rating reflects the overall rating of Refinery29 and is not affected by filters.
Reviews about "work life balance"
Return to all Reviews- 1.0Feb 5, 2021Graphic DesignerFormer Employee, more than 3 yearsNew York, NY
Pros
Awesome people within the team, inspiring creatives
Cons
No work life balance, many egos running around who get promoted for no reason, horribly low pay
3 - 1.0Jan 4, 2018Anonymous EmployeeCurrent Employee, less than 1 yearNew York, NY
Pros
Parties that are basically created just to be instagrammed, Sometimes free lunch, nice office.
Cons
Terrible management, and unfriendly people. I was provided no room for growth after 2 years of working here and expected to work at all hours. No work/life balance and no appreciation provided for hard work put in.
18 - 2.0Aug 17, 2015Creative DepartmentCurrent Employee, more than 1 yearNew York, NY
Pros
Office culture can be very social, with frequent events, parties, etc. My colleagues are some of the best in the business.
Cons
Refinery29 can be a bit of a catty sorority, where bosses pick favorites based on how cool you look rather than how good your ideas are. The politics can be difficult to navigate for anyone who doesn't fit the mold, and I've seen really great folks get ostracized for that exact reason. For a company boasting their earning YoY in company wide meetings, it's really disheartening to see that pay and benefits are not growing equally. Salaries are not competitive. Employees are expected to be online 24/7, work late, work on vacation, etc. Work life balance is not existent. Almost every department has weak or abrasive, untrained mid-level to upper management. All of these factors contribute to an incredibly high turnover. All of my colleagues are actively looking for new jobs.
18 - 1.0Apr 28, 2016Campaign ManagerFormer EmployeeNew York, NY
Pros
free stuff, nice office, casual work environment
Cons
management is unprofessional and does not support any career growth whatsoever. NO work life balance; unsustainable and will burn you out.
8 - 4.0Apr 24, 2017Anonymous EmployeeFormer Employee, more than 1 year
Pros
Encouraged to explore, try new things and tell new stories.
Cons
Very little work life balance.
- 5.0Dec 4, 2014Anonymous ContractorCurrent Contractor, less than 1 year
Pros
- The company has an enthusiasm that many other companies lack, proudly celebrate their growth and where they are going which gives the office a nice buzz - Employees are hard working with personality which makes a pleasant work environment. Great team spirit. - I get to work with some inspiring and ambitious mentors, leaders and peers - I enjoy the work I do and the reason I am doing it, because I believe in the company. R29 makes work a pleasure! - I love how much creativity is encouraged and celebrated and the is ambitious attitude to hit new goals/targets, which I feel rubs off on employees
Cons
- Company is large and many different departments with different processes, which need to be picked up quickly, so you need to be a fast learner. These processes/questions could be streamlined with some sort of briefing and/or company directory for contractors - Work/life balance can be difficult at busy times
1 - 4.0Jun 2, 2016Anonymous EmployeeCurrent Employee, less than 1 yearNew York, NY
Pros
- Really talented people - Company is growing fast, therefore lots of room for growth - Young crowd with so many ideas - Puppies allowed - There is so much work that you'll never get bored - Growing internationally - Work/life balance - Paternity and maternity leave - Sabbatical after 4 years
Cons
- Not enough perks for employees - Worst snacks ever - Poor communication between departments - Not enough employee events that help build community - We need our own building/space ASAP
2 - 1.0Nov 24, 2014Anonymous EmployeeFormer Employee, more than 1 yearNew York, NY
Pros
1. Nice office 2. Most of the people are smart and really do care about the brand and putting out great work
Cons
Overall, the culture is awful: 1. Extreme disconnect between internal teams-organizational structure makes no sense and doesn't work, especially on the Ad Sales side of the business 2. Competitive vs. collaborative 3. Lots of egos and attitudes 4. ZERO work/life balance, you are expected to always be on...ALWAYS meaning well into the evenings and while on 'vacation' 5. Workloads are not realistic or sustainable 6. Cliquey, like high school
6 - 1.0Oct 27, 2014Anonymous EmployeeCurrent Employee, less than 1 year
Pros
N/A. honestly i cant think of any except for the name.
Cons
1- for being a 'feminist-forward' company how come you do not supply feminine products in the bathroom? Cereal and coffee in the kitchen are not perks. 2-there is no respect for an employee as an individual. Sure there are plenty of ideas that get thrown around but if you want to work in an environment where you steal photos from the internet to replicate or draw over for its fast turnover, then you've come to the right place. there is no time to actually conceptualize and they are chasing the cool and trendy even though they say they aren't. 3-the work life balance is nonexistent and if the management really cared about you, a good office environment would have enough perks to keep you around. bottom line is there are no perks and no work/life balance so why bother? 4-little to no reward. ok maybe you'll get your name called out in meetings once but that's it. 5-they reward the best looking/best dressed more than the talent.
8 - 2.0Sep 13, 2017Account ManagerFormer EmployeeNew York, NY
Pros
- Fun office perks. Brands will often come in and discuss new product offerings events. - Very creative environment, always pushing boundaries - 29Rooms is incredible
Cons
- No work life balance - The sales team is very demanding and management does not create boundaries for Account Managers. Management will often say they are trying to find solutions but solutions never come - Low compensation - Constantly changing direction - Gossip driven culture. Very cut throat.
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