Basic perks and games, but unclear future plans - SDE 3 Backend AI Engineer UKG Employee Review

fantastic leadership, work, flexibility and benefits

a large company that sometimes operates as a startup, but I prefer that.

UKG offers one of the better benefits packages I’ve experienced. The healthcare options are competitive, the 401(k) match is strong, and the family leave benefits are excellent. The company also promotes flexible PTO, which is appealing on paper and can be beneficial depending on your team and manager. Overall, the compensation and benefits package is a major strength.

While UKG offers attractive benefits, the day-to-day work environment can be challenging. In my experience, the culture among peers was often toxic, and leadership was not always supportive when concerns were raised. The company promotes flexible PTO, but in practice it felt heavily managed, with little to no ability to take time off between Thanksgiving and mid-January. Compensation also lacked consistency. Employees performing the same role with similar responsibilities could have significantly different pay, creating frustration and concerns about fairness. Career growth was another challenge. There was no clearly defined career progression roadmap, making it difficult to understand what was required for advancement. Many employees should expect to remain in the same position for an extended period unless opportunities happened to open up. Finally, the company experiences frequent organizational changes and shifting priorities. The venture capital ownership contributes to a fast-paced environment where restructures and changing initiatives are common, making it difficult to maintain stability and long-term direction.