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      KnowBe4

      Engaged Employer

      KnowBe4 reviews

      3.5

      62% would recommend to a friend

      (1,478 total reviews)
      avatar

      Bryan Palma

      55% approve of CEO

      58% positive business outlook

      Ratings by category

      4.0

      Diversity & inclusion

      3.9

      Work/Life balance

      3.6

      Culture & values

      3.5

      Career opportunities

      3.3

      Senior management

      3.3

      Compensation and benefits

      KnowBe4 has an employee rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars, based on 1,478 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The KnowBe4 employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Information Technology industry (3.9 stars).

      Ratings by demographic groups

      Reviews by job title

      1K reviews
      1.0
      Feb 6, 2023

      Layoffs and Grim Outlook

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Unlimited PTO, hybrid and remote work

      Cons

      KnowBe4 has been laying off several employees while giving bonuses to upper management. The company has not been transparent about the layoffs, refusing to acknowledge them publicly. This lack of transparency and disregard for their employees is concerning. During the daily meeting, the CEO continued to deny that layoffs were occurring and instead kept referring to the layoffs as "restructuring." This goes against the company's radical transparency philosophy that is preached daily. Upper management should be more open and fair in their treatment of the workforce. While I recognize the company is doing this in preparation for the upcoming recession, they have not handled it in a matter consistent with their philosophy. Additionally, accountability is something that is very much lacking throughout the company. Management is quick to give someone a warning if they make a minor mistake without coaching them on how to fix the problem first. This mentality creates a stressful work environment and instills fear among employees. The motto used by the CEO, "Do it right the first time. Do it fast. And have fun while you do it," has created a hostile work environment. While I see how this was originally not the intent, KnowBe4's upper management needs to look at how these words matter and change the mantra to create a more positive work environment for their employees. It is unfortunate to see the direction the company is heading when it has had such a positive past. I hope upper management recognizes these concerns and implements positive change to ensure employee satisfaction.

      avatar
      KnowBe4 Response
      3y
      Stu here! Thanks for providing us with your feedback. The executive leaders and I remain dedicated to our core principles of radical transparency and extreme ownership, so let me simply explain the changes happening around KnowBe4 to you and any other reader on Glassdoor. KnowBe4 is optimizing for the current effects of the economic cycle, and as part of that we are no longer offering the KnowBe4 Compliance Manager product. In our 12 years as a company we have seen massive headcount growth, but eventually every organization that lasts long enough is bound to have some restructuring. The looming recession has impacted our business strategy and workforce much less than many of the major tech companies that have had to lay off thousands of employees; however, we have not been unaffected. As CEO, I have made some hard decisions to optimize KnowBe4, so we not only withstand a global recession but continue to grow through it. The majority of the changes and reorganization did not impact employment. The few changes that did impact employment were isolated events, and the executive leaders of those teams have been directly communicating to the members of the affected teams. As always, my first priority has been to care for the people affected by the changes. We first looked at reallocating team members to other open positions within KnowBe4. For the few who could not or did not want to change roles, we provided an ample severance package. Above all, I wanted to ensure these team members were cared for as they transitioned away from KnowBe4 to find other opportunities. I am determined to keep KnowBe4 a highly efficient, sane, fast, and fun workplace - with the positive and supportive culture that our Knowsters love. I hope this explanation gives you the clarity you are looking for. I appreciate the work you have done for KnowBe4, and wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors. - Sincerely, Stu Sjouwerman
      1.0
      Jan 29, 2024

      Would not recommend

      Customer success manager
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      PTO policy, but that’s about it.

      Cons

      Compensation - I, along with my entire team, have been paid less each year. As we get better at our jobs, KB4 adjusts the commission percentages (not for the better) while moving the goalposts further out for the retention and revenue that’s expected. Vista has managed to quickly ruin the culture at KB4. From its start through 2021, KB4 was the best place to work and then it started a downward spiral, beginning with going public, and has gotten even worse since the Vista acquisition. Pay dropped while new products and features were introduced, creating more work for less compensation. Their “radical transparency” policy is a lie - the CEO said no layoffs are coming less than a week before layoffs occurred. We had to schedule a team meeting just so everyone could vent about how out of touch the CEO is because the morale was so low. There’s definitely a weird vibe about the place as a well, which I believe is a reflection of the Hubbard school of management.

      avatar
      KnowBe4 Response
      2y
      Hello Knowster. First and foremost, we have a strict no religion policy at KnowBe4. We can assure you that there are no religious beliefs that affect our company culture or the way we conduct business. CSM pay has not gone down each year. In fact, this year, we provided revised compensation plans with higher on-target earnings for our current CSMs. While restructuring did eliminate some roles in some areas, new roles opened in other areas. Stu does share information in our daily company-wide briefings about any and all changes going on internally as well as in the cybersecurity industry. If you have further concerns, please reach out to the People Operations team.
      2.0
      Nov 9, 2023

      Not as good as it once was

      Manager
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Great, hardworking teams. People genuinely seem to like the majority of their coworkers Individual basic insurance is 100% covered and buy up plans are affordable If you have a good manager you are likely very happy with your job as a whole. Events thrown are typically decently fun WFH/hybrid is still common place If your team needs something (software, tool, new computers) to operate efficiently, they tend to buy it Lots of ERP groups to be involved in if you would like The claimed values and culture is great when shown, seems to have gone away post acquisition

      Cons

      Under market salaries Announced no COLAs, the bonus "game" keeps being restructured (which will happen again I'm sure), which was their excuse for underpaying base salaries, so now people are making less than in previous years, without factoring inflation. The daily Morning meeting has truly become a waste of time, especially if you are not in sales. CEO seems very out of touch with what his employees are going through financially, which was amplified when he discussed how he wasn't sure if he was going to switch out his mansion for a 19 bedroom mansion offered to him, because "what will 2 people do with 19 bedrooms and 3 pools!?" Using the morning meeting to tell people "big changes are coming in January but we won't tell you about them because we don't want you to worry" is concerning and makes people worry Favoritism is rampant Family health insurance is very expensive Individual growth has become especially limited with the new corporate climate post acquisition

      avatar
      KnowBe4 Response
      2y
      Hello Knowster, we understand your concerns about the absence of cost-of-living adjustments in January. Despite economic challenges, we're working to maintain benefits and continue the monthly bonus plan as is in 2024. Our health insurance, with various tiers, remains competitive, and we've kept premiums stable. We reduced family premiums by over 30% in 2023, and our plans have only seen a minor change to add an HSA tier based on employee suggestions. We're committed to maximizing coverage at the best price in 2024. The daily company briefing is our way of making sure each Knowster is kept in the loop, straight from the top. Your well-being and job security are top priorities, and we appreciate your understanding in these unprecedented times.
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