A classic case of Peter principle, practice job only - Anonymous employee Brooks Running Employee Review

2.0
Jun 16, 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

1. Lots of opportunities to learn for junior/entry-level employees thanks to open office environment and exposure to senior employees 2. Product discounts making purchasing running shoes more affordable 3. You can get promoted very quickly if working for departments with high attrition 4. Good IT infrastructure and very nice IT support 5. Having the nicest people I have ever worked with in my entire career in all levels; some still there but many have left.... 6. Pay is very good at director level, regardless of number of staff 7. Charismatic CEO with appreciation for products

Cons

1. HR stretching too thin, only having resources to do administrative and recruiting tasks, not talent management including conflict management between managers and staff. 2. Too many layers of management for a small company leading to lack of transparency in decision making and performance measurement, talented employees disappearing for no clear reasons, highly political and unstable org. 3. Lack of talents and qualified leaders in key positions leading to slow or ineffective decisions 4. Silo minded org, business partnering/collaboration difficult 5. Racial and ethnic diversity lacking in senior management at HQ (director level and above) 6. Becoming an agreeable and obedient culture; passionate/strong minded employees are few; managing up more important 7. Commuting to and parking in Fremont expensive

Explore other reviews about Brooks Running

5.0
Jun 16, 2026
Anonymous contractor
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- excellent employee perks - gorgeous HQ office buildings with amenities - free lunch - supportive and passionate team members

Cons

- parking is not free for employees, but there are commuter benefits to offset that

2.0
Jun 7, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

PTO and benefits are good. There is free lunch and an onsite gym. Employees are encouraged to run and stay active, with office next to the Burke-Gilman running trail.

Cons

The culture is presented as fun and healthy but in reality it is fairly toxic within specific departments and feels very “high school”. It is also very hierarchical with lots of corporate bureaucracy. The company caters more to middle and upper level management, so expect limited growth and development opportunities. Unclear, constantly changing expectations and overlapping job roles are a common theme. Leadership is not held accountable within the organization. People who play the game and assimilate to the culture are rewarded and perpetuate the status quo way of doing things. This leads to a lack of diversity in thought but also diversity in general especially at the leadership level. There is an added complexity to everything that makes even the most simple work difficult. Everyone is overwhelmed by too many meetings and yet there is not a lot of cross-functional collaboration, as all of the teams work in silos and compete for resources. The company is trying to become a more global, but there are a lot of growing pains associated with this. For a growing company with headquarters in a location like Seattle, the pay is low and not competitive enough to attract and retain top talent. The office buildings also face local area constraints like expensive parking which is passed on to the employee. The company incentivizes alternative transportation but it can be difficult to figure out the best way to get to work. There has been reduced flexibility to work from home with more emphasis put on being in the office.

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