Future reviews

The editorial staff is given impossible publishing and traffic targets. It's disheartening to be told month after month, year after year, that your team is not doing enough — especially when everyone is constantly putting in overtime in an effort to achieve impossible goals. Teams are severely understaffed. Burnout is rampant and morale is low. Writers and editors are churning out sub-par content, sacrificing quality for quantity, and occasionally even publishing plagiarism. What used to be a top-notch newsroom is now more of a content mill, and it's full of wasted talent. There's a lot of employee turnover. Future is losing a lot of its best talent in editorial, and their positions are being filled with underqualified candidates who are almost exclusively located in the UK. That's likely because they can underpay our colleagues in the UK, where the staff are not unionized. In many instances, writers in the UK are paid about half what their American counterparts make. According to Press Gazette, in 2021 "Future recorded one of the lowest median employee pay packages at £36,775, while also recording one of the highest chief executive pay packages in the country." Annual raises are not guaranteed for non-union members and certainly do not account for inflation. There are no performance reviews, so it can be difficult to make the case for a raise or promotion.

Regularly pushing a "people are our priority" message to staff and then laying off entire departments at the slightest threat of losing a few dollars is not a good look. NYC office is a loud open-plan hive, akin to a school lunchroom. Workers trying to get anything done need to wear headphones, some even walk around the office with them on. There are exactly two phone booths in which you can take a private call; they are always occupied. The overcrowding comes from Future buying other companies then cramming them into a space too small even for the amount of people already there. To "fix" this, they shuffle employees around the office every few weeks and then abruptly eliminate positions. Management asks for input in the form of surveys yet doesn't actually take that in, so they still make very poor decisions. Only later after the decision is implemented do they realize it was the wrong move and attempt to fix it. Future does not value employees: Pay is less than market rate. Will not consider raises even when presented with a proven case for an increase or salary comparisons. While individuals are talented and go above and beyond, appreciation for that is rarely shown and there is little to no incentive to stay, leading to high turnover. On top of that, there is zero job security even if you're great at what you do. Was told multiple times "if you're not happy here, leave" by managers, HR, and the CEO; not sure what world they're living in where that's the easiest option. Felt belittling and left me wondering how adept they can be at leading others if they're not considering what those less privileged have to deal with.