Future reviews

(Warning: Don't place too much trust in reviews from 2015 onward, as managers literally begged employees to write nice things on Glassdoor, in attempt to improve a rightfully damaged online rep) - Real decisions made in UK, leaving US employees relatively powerless - Consistent year to year layoffs, forced vacations and furloughs as outdated business model tanks - You're often worried you'll get laid off next OR your team will shrink, adding more responsibilities to already overburdened workers - Not much room for advancement thanks to many crucial US roles shifted to UK employees - A print company that recognized power of online market far, FAR too late. Trying to slooooooooooowly fix this has lost them tens of millions over the years - No consistent vision, as CEOs and VPs rarely last two years - Vacant senior positions often transform into junior ones, leading to a massive drain of talent and ability - Despite being in a creative field, content is meaningless to most decision makers. Written words, video, and art are supremely undervalued, with SEO and sponsored content vastly preferred - Ad team gets bulk of praise at company meetings, as everyone else is bored to tears hearing just how many deals person X booked last quarter. All the praise is doubly confusing when Future U.S. so rarely has any profits to speak of - Management quite gullible to fads, snake oil salesmen, and overspending on flashy (but mediocre) folks who they hope will fix Future overnight. Management is shocked by lack of immediate turn around, then runs off in search of its next possible savior - Long tenures and loyalty often a liability. Future is much more likely to hire outside than promote within - or they'll just put a UK employee in that slot

I came to Future as part of an acquisition a few years ago. Everything was great till Future acquired us. I was promoted and told I did not need training for my new position and responsibilities. Being promoted within your own team after the team basically self managed for 2 years does not go smoothly. A bullying and gaslighting culture developed with no support, was told by manager to basically suck it up and deal with it. New manager wasn't much better, they eventually (delayed by more than a month) dealt with bullying, after too many incidents, but was not heavily encouraged to push it further than a team talk to clear the air, I was given the option to escalate but was not encouraged at all when I said I was reluctant to rock the boat. Mid level management too busy looking after their friends and promoting them to worry about the deteriorating mental health of other staff. I and my team were pushed out the door with a lame excuse of consolidating the wider team to one location, when in fact they were getting rid of us because they had made us ill and we had to take sick leave. This was proven as there were still team members located remotely and they could not provide a reason for this. They also made us suffer for months with ill health so that the company would only need to pay us statutory redundancy instead of the enhanced sick pay we would have got 2 months prior. I am still ill, have no prospects of a new job because of my mental health, anxiety and panic attacks, brought on by work related stress. As soon as you show a little weakness they get ready to offload you. I wish I had left years ago, I would still have my health if I did. Good luck to the new team taking on our jobs as they don't know enough about the job to do it long term. Again lack of care and attention from mid management, these guys will end up struggling with the pressure too.