Losing it's "fun", not what it used to be... - Anonymous employee Brooks Running Employee Review

3.0
Feb 28, 2014
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Encourages an active lifestyle and running during the day is encouraged. Casual work environment. FUN activities - Friday runs (beer included), holiday parties, summer BBQ, etc. Fun people A great "First Job" - if you're in your 20's you will ADORE this place! This place is fun. It encourages a social atmosphere which is great.

Cons

Boys Club Professionalism is a joke HR needs to be improved - doesn't take employees complaints seriously Professional growth - you need to PUSH as hard as you can (even then it doesn't happen) You get to a point where you stall in your career Boys Club Boys Club Boys Club Consider it a fraternity....events, daily life, it's not a place that most women would love, especially because upper management is mostly all men. Meetings are revolved around sports discussions and if you can't participate you won't get anywhere. There are a few "token" women in higher management positions, but they don't hold any real influence in the company. Leadership doesn't walk the walk...they say they care about their people but they have routinely let unreasonable and unacceptable events and behaviors happen. I've heard through the grape vine they are continuing to lose valuable people who are leaving simply because they don't feel appreciated or valued.

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.

1
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All