Falling Apart - Anonymous Brooks Running Employee Review

1.0
Oct 6, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Used to be small enough you knew everyone and they knew you and that made it a special place. Now it's borderline corporate. Brooks used to have a laid back environment but that's changed as well. Hydration Wednesdays were a fun and quirky benefit; that's gone too. If you run you can disappear for hours at a time during the day. Depends on your running ability and the department.

Cons

Lacks true leadership. Way too many corporate middle managers go from zero-to-hero when they come to Brooks from the big companies. Management claims to have a plan but the execution is either ill planned or just non-existent. Like many other reviews here, I've also witnessed and experienced the smile to your face and stab you in the back mentality. There's way too much politics here for such a simple business. This place did a number on my career. Came in with a solid foundation and good trajectory but was slowed down, suffocated, demoralized and disrespected. All while taking a pay cut to work for this "cool, run happy" company which turned out to be a bait and switch.

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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