Future reviews

(Warning: Don't place too much trust in reviews from 2015 onward, as managers literally begged employees to write nice things on Glassdoor, in attempt to improve a rightfully damaged online rep) - Real decisions made in UK, leaving US employees relatively powerless - Consistent year to year layoffs, forced vacations and furloughs as outdated business model tanks - You're often worried you'll get laid off next OR your team will shrink, adding more responsibilities to already overburdened workers - Not much room for advancement thanks to many crucial US roles shifted to UK employees - A print company that recognized power of online market far, FAR too late. Trying to slooooooooooowly fix this has lost them tens of millions over the years - No consistent vision, as CEOs and VPs rarely last two years - Vacant senior positions often transform into junior ones, leading to a massive drain of talent and ability - Despite being in a creative field, content is meaningless to most decision makers. Written words, video, and art are supremely undervalued, with SEO and sponsored content vastly preferred - Ad team gets bulk of praise at company meetings, as everyone else is bored to tears hearing just how many deals person X booked last quarter. All the praise is doubly confusing when Future U.S. so rarely has any profits to speak of - Management quite gullible to fads, snake oil salesmen, and overspending on flashy (but mediocre) folks who they hope will fix Future overnight. Management is shocked by lack of immediate turn around, then runs off in search of its next possible savior - Long tenures and loyalty often a liability. Future is much more likely to hire outside than promote within - or they'll just put a UK employee in that slot

Before you start there, answer this question: Do you currently live in England, the home base of Future? If not, don't expect much forward momentum or support in your career. Both US and UK divisions have been steadily shrinking for years, as this diminutive magazine publisher finally caught on in 2013(!) that perhaps this whole internet thing was here to stay. Now it's a mad dash to make up for lost time. As it stands, the UK bosses still don't get online publishing, and prefer potential quick fixes to long term planning. Of course, when so few executives in the US or UK stay for more than 2 years, it's hard to stick with any real plans or goals anyway. A lot of shuffling of deck chairs on the Titanic going on, as the US and UK sides shrink and shrink every fiscal year, as a new round of layoffs and publications closing comes every September. US/UK culture clash leads to UK folks getting majority of promotions and responsibilities, as the the US give notes on the American market that will fall on deaf ears. Also, if you work out of the main South San Francisco office, you better enjoy video conferences at 8, 7, and even 6AM, because you'll be having oh so many inconsequential meetings with the UK brass. What, did you expect a UK exec to stay after 5pm local time? Haha, that's a good one. Due to cost-cutting measure, they'll likely want to hire you for an entry level position, unless they head hunt you as part of those aforementioned quick fixes. You'll find you won't have much upward mobility by working out of the American office, as you watch Brit after Brit take most promotions. That or someone gets hired from a competing brand, mainly for their ability to self-promote as opposed to a proven record of success. That's not to say you won't be tasked with enough work to fill up most nights and weekends, because you can count on that. Working with folks across the Atlantic means that the emails never stop and your work/life balance takes a beating. Company loyalty or long tenures are more burdensome to your Future US career than anything else. It looks like you have no other options or ambitions to go elsewhere. The new bosses always want to separate themselves from what was worked on a couple years ago anyway. Best to take what you can to enhance your career, and then leave that mausoleum before the stink of it attaches to your resume. Mainly, Future US is plagued by the usual corporate BS, only it's multiplied by remote UK owners and a continual grasping at straws by the newest boss sent in to put out the garbage fire that is their online business model. Content is a buzzword, readers are merely numbers to show advertisers, and passion in work is to be distrusted. Here's tip: Just nod and agree with every British accent you hear. Life will go easier that way. Speaking of content, if you're working there to create anything, you're basically meaningless to Future. Ads, web devs, video editors, management, HR, SEO 'experts,' product placement specialists, and others matter much more than content creators who work on the sites their entire business is built around. Writers merely churn out the copy which is covered in ads, and is seen as a job anyone can do. If you prioritize content over networking and delegation, you're seen as fairly unambitious by superiors. The less writing done by someone hired to write, the better their prospects are. Lastly, the remote South San Francisco office is a pain to get to from most directions, so look forward to a lengthy commute. It's on the fourth floor of an all-but-abandoned business park, with very few food options nearby. But honestly, if they're hiring you now, there's a good chance you don't live in the Bay Area anyway. Many recent hires live elsewhere in the US, no doubt part of a long term plan to eventually shutter the expensive US office and run the bungled operation as cheaply as possible. All you really need is your sales team anyway, right? The last 4 or so Vice Presidents of Failing Upwards got promoted from the sales group.