Run Happy Noble Idea, Sadly Work Happy is not - Anonymous employee Brooks Running Employee Review

2.0
Aug 23, 2014
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good First Job and if you are a running fanatic

Cons

Company more closely resembles a High School. Manipulation, Gossip and the Cool kids (i.e. the cool depts.) maneuvers are regularly practiced and rewarded. There are several cases I’ve seen of employees being promised a promotion, pay increase or move to a new role only to be told a yr. Later the job or the merit increase can’t happen to the extent we spoke to. But keep doing what you are doing and we will revisit next yr. It is a company with very little upward mobility dependent on the department you work in Most of these negatives are practiced by Sr. managers and executives. Brooks has hired numerous "leaders" that came from big companies where they either were let go or were not top producers. Why leave a multibillion $ company to work at $500m Org.? Brooks revives their careers and allows them to fracture the existing culture with big ideas from the past that are not relevant to the current or near future of the brand. Sadly, it's the individual contributors, the 10 yr. vet/lifer that hasn't seen a promotion, and the quiet high-performer who just wants to do an excellent job and doesn't boast to everyone about his own accomplishments. Brooks is becoming a ‘Big Boy” culture just like most companies. They have had layoffs just like everyone else. So if if you going to work for a company that acta like most others, then you should go work at Big Company where there are upward mobility options and they will pay you more for your commitment and the risks.

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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