Refinery29 reviews

3.1

40% would recommend to a friend

(191 total reviews)

Philippe von Borries

35% approve of CEO

18% positive business outlook

Refinery29 has an employee rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars, based on 191 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Refinery29 employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Mídia e comunicação industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

191 reviews
1.0
Mar 2, 2018
Recommend
Business Outlook

Pros

There are many brilliant, motivated writers and editors here. (But they are completely overworked, undervalued, underpaid, and straight-up lied to.)

Cons

Where to begin?? This company is like all the bad parts of high school, except now it's your career (and your rent, or lack thereof) on the line. There is zero emphasis placed on quality of work; it's all about how you look, whether you're conventionally attractive, and whether you are an Instagram influencer. The work hours are unbelievable and there's no such thing as a lunch break (Yes, it's illegal not to give employees a lunch break, and R29 would of course say that all employees are "allowed" lunch. But what single employee is going to break for lunch when the 300 people around them are working straight through?) And speaking of illegal, R29 will straight-up promise employees something — a certain pay rate or job, a bonus, or time off — and sign a contract for it, and then "change their mind" whenever they feel like it. But because they hire almost exclusively 22-year-olds, employees have no idea that these abuses are not just par for the course out here in the real world post-college. (Also, 22-year-olds are very unlikely to be able to afford to hire a lawyer and sue.)

5.0
Feb 25, 2018
Recommend
Business Outlook

Pros

I am able to be my true creative self. I have had the freedom to experiment and push the boundaries of the brand and have had the backing of the company to help me push my vision forward.

Cons

It is difficult to move outside of the role you were hired for even after 2-3 years of working the same job.

2.0
Feb 2, 2018

Go In With Your Eyes Open

Anonymous employee
Recommend
Business Outlook

Pros

Great resume builder, moves quick so you learn a lot, great place to get started. Generally great people at the associate level.

Cons

Limited opportunities for growth, moves quickly so hard to get a grasp on anything, job security can feel impossible when layoffs are constantly happening. Clearly little to no vision for a sustainable future so that filters down to confusion at the lowest ranks. Raises are like getting blood from a stone, so make sure you negotiate yourself a good starting salary. I would tell people not to work there, but honestly, you're going to if you get a job offer because its a JOB in digital media, and at a brand with a lot of cache. So I get it. I'd probably still go work there again if I had to do it over again, even if future-me were able to pay a "Christmas Carole"-type visit to my bedside to walk me through the years of chaos and low salary I had to deal with. So if you must go work there, go in with your eyes open and think strategically about what is best for you, and don't get lulled into a sense of loyalty to the supposed mission of "helping all women everywhere." Its a business, not a non-profit. The real mission is money, and if Refinery29 were a person, he/she'd step over his/her own bleeding grandmother to get it. Build your brand and voice, get experience, and get out.

Viewing 88 - 90 of 191 Reviews

Glassdoor has 283 Refinery29 reviews submitted anonymously by Refinery29 employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Refinery29 is right for you.