Nice perks, but overworked - Anonymous employee Brooks Running Employee Review

4.0
May 25, 2023
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The benefits are pretty darn good (at least for employees without families, though the cost of covering kids' insurance could be worse). Free HSA money, roughly a 4% 401k match, free lunches onsite T/W/Th, and everyone religiously avoids scheduling meetings on Fridays. Good discount on products too, so if you're a runner this place is heaven. They do have a serious dedication to DEI that most corporate environments don't have, and it's carried out quite well. They try to encourage people from underrepresented communities to join the team and love sponsoring athletes. It is a very inclusive environment, and while they care about physical fitness no one is shamed for not being a runner or some other type of athlete. The FT-employees-only free gym can help change that, though!

Cons

Some folks are stressed beyond measure and they're clearly overloaded! Makes it hard to get answers in a timely manner and projects can fall behind schedule due to blocks like that. Pay is a bit under market value in some departments like IT, though not as bad as it once was after a major compensation adjustment in 2021-2022. Some of the culture/values are hard to see in action across teams. Not all employees are treated equally, which is a shame.

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