In the fast-paced and demanding world of tech, finding that elusive work-life balance can be trickier than debugging a complex algorithm. Some companies have cracked the code, while others seem to be running their employees ragged. Let’s dive into the digital trenches and explore the 10 worst offenders and 10 shining stars when it comes to work-life balance in the tech industry.
The Burnout Brigade: 10 Worst Tech Companies for Work-Life Balance
1. ByteDance
TikTok may be all about short-form fun, but working at ByteDance, the internet company that created the video-sharing platform, is apparently a long-form nightmare. With 53.14% of employee reviews on Glassdoor mentioning poor work-life balance, ByteDance takes the crown as the tech company most likely to burn out its workforce.
A ByteDance Operations Manager painted a grim picture on Glassdoor: “No work-life balance; expects to be on call even late at night; most of the documents are in mandarin.”
2. Stripe
This payment processor and fintech service might be processing its employees’ energy reserves a bit too efficiently. Glassdoor reviews in the cons section indicate that 38.39% of Stripe’s employees cite work-life balance issues, including stress and long work hours.
According to a Stripe Software Engineer’s Glassdoor review, “The work life balance is *bad*. For how many products Stripe has, we are a very lean company. Too lean. There’s just a lot of work, and very very tight deadlines, very fast paced, and not enough engineers and product managers to do all of it.”
3. Manhattan Associates
Running a close third is Manhattan Associates, with 38.27% of employees using negative keywords to describe their dissatisfaction and lack of work-life balance. The Big Apple’s tech scene can be enticing, but this software company seems to be squeezing its workers dry if the Glassdoor reviews are any indication.
Here’s what a Database administrator had to say about the company on Glassdoor: “Toxic environment. Very bad work-life balance.”
4. Palantir Technologies
For a software company that helps others analyze data, Palantir is missing crucial insights at home. With 34.82% of Glassdoor reviews highlighting work-life balance issues, Palantir seems to be seeing everything except employee burnout.
In a recent Glassdoor review, a Palantir Deployment strategist states: “Intense Workload: The fast-paced environment and high expectations can make it difficult to maintain a work-life balance, leading to potential burnout.”
5. Rippling
This HR management tech company, which should know better about employee well-being, might need to “ripple” some changes in its own employment conditions. With staff reporting having to work long hours to hit their numbers and 33.77% of Glassdoor reviews containing a high number of negative keywords, Rippling seems to be causing more “ripples” of stress than harmony.
One anonymous employee’s review reveals: “Expect your boss to slack you after hours, and expect to reply. Expect to work when you’re sick. Expect that you’ll work weekends. The disregard for your personal time is horrendous. Oh, and that unlimited PTO? It’s capped at 3 weeks. Don’t expect more.”
6. Databricks
Despite its innovative tech, Databricks appears to be struggling with employee work-life balance. On Glassdoor, 33.33% of negatively worded reviews mention that the data intelligence platform has not found a way to reduce long working hours. Employers and managers seem to openly expect their staff to work overtime, showing little concern for employee health.
An anonymous Databricks employee had this to say about the company: “Not focused on employees, hard to find work, life balance.”
This travel tech company might be sending its employees on a one-way trip to burnout city. 32.8% of the reviews indicate that the workload is often too much for small teams, leading to stress and burnout. While the company’s product is praised, the middle management is described as inexperienced and lacking in leadership skills, which likely contributes to the work-life balance issues.
One Navan Sales Development Representative’s Glassdoor review states: “The culture is fine, but if you don’t drink you basically won’t get to participate in anything. Zero work life balance.”
The employee’s Advice to Management section goes on to conclude, “Only promote people to management positions when they’re ready. If you are going to hire externally, make sure they have at least 3 years of prior SALES managing experience. There’s way too many inexperienced or rude and unprofessional managers.”
8. Paycom
Ironically, a company dealing with payroll seems to be shortchanging its employees on personal time. 31.46% of reviews mention work-life balance woes. The company apparently requires mandatory overtime, with staff working anywhere between 60 and 80 hours weekly towards the end of the year. Employees also report the paid sick leave and vacation policies being quite substandard as well.
Employee feedback at Paycom appears concerning, as evidenced by this candid review left by an anonymous member of staff: “The company is going under due to questionable values and morals, poor leadership, inefficient training, bait and switch/deceptive selling, and unrealistic expectations which are matched with lack of work/life balance and humanization.”
9. Cruise
This autonomous vehicle company appears to be steering towards employee burnout, by the looks of things on Glassdoor. A significant 30.86% of reviews point out issues with work-life balance. While the technology and potential of the company may be exciting, it seems to come at the cost of employee well-being and satisfaction.
A Glassdoor review from a Training Project Manager at the company reveals: “Most goals and deadlines were unreasonable leading to poor work life balance and added stress.”
10. ZoomInfo
28.8% of ZoomInfo’s Glassdoor reviews paint a picture of a culture that often prioritizes work over personal time. While some employees of the data and software company report standard workdays, others face grueling 12+ hour shifts. ZoomInfo’s rapid growth and frequent organizational changes appear to exacerbate these issues.
A Glassdoor review from a Sales Development Representative at ZoomInfo states: “Potential to make good money but will be stressed with little work/life balance because the quota is extremely high. The whole sales org has been built on this boiler room foundation that causes most successful reps to want to work elsewhere if offered.”
The Balance Bosses: 10 Best Tech Companies for Work-Life Balance
1. NetApp
Data storage company, NetApp seems to have found the perfect formula for storing employee happiness – when it comes to work-life balance, at least. Employee reviews on Glassdoor indicate that only 10.5% have issues related to work-life balance. The company offers flexible work arrangements, ample time off, and a culture that respects personal time.
A current employee who’s been with the NetApp for 5 years says: “Work flexibility to wfh with only once a week in the office, great culture and work-life balance, good people.”
2. Cisco
Networking isn’t just about computers here – it’s about connecting work and life seamlessly. Tech giant Cisco seems to agree with this notion. Running a close second to NetApp, Glassdoor reviews of Cisco show that only 10.13% of employees of the whopping 30941 reviews left on the platform have complained of a lack of work-life balance, which means that only one in every 10 employees has expressed this concern.
A Data Science Manager at the company offers this positive feedback: “Many employees appreciate Cisco’s focus on work-life balance, flexible work arrangements, and inclusive culture, which can make it an appealing workplace for those seeking stability and growth in the tech industry.”
3. Spotify
The music streaming service is hitting all the right notes when it comes to work-life harmony if the feedback on Glassdoor is any indication. Only 10.46% of reviewers think that work-life balance is an issue for Spotify, with most reviews praising the work-life balance in the “Pros” section. The company’s “Work From Anywhere” program and flexible vacation policy seem to contribute to these positive sentiments.
A review from an Analyst at Spotify notes: “The work life balance is incomparable plus 6 month maternity leave.”
4. Autodesk
Autodesk appears to have the work-life balance down to a science. Just 10.62% of reviews mention such concerns, indicating a company culture that values personal time as much as productivity. Autodesk allows for remote work and employees even get 6 weeks of sabbatical every 4 years! At such a rate, is burnout even possible? With an overall 4.3 rating on Glassdoor, it’s going to be quite hard to criticize Autodesk.
A recent Glassdoor review by a Software engineer at the company goes as follows: “People clearly love working at Autodesk, this is seen through the number of years people stay (10-20+ years). Work life balance great, remote work is still allowed.”
5. Dropbox
Dropbox isn’t just storing files – they’re safeguarding employee well-being too. The file hosting service has implemented a “Virtual First” work model, allowing employees to work remotely while providing collaborative spaces for in-person meetings when needed.
This approach, coupled with their emphasis on async work which allows employees to work with colleagues around the globe seamlessly, appears to contribute to a positive work-life balance. Only 11.07% of Dropbox employees report issues with work-life balance.
A Data Integration Engineer who’s been with Dropbox for more than 5 years shares their two cents: “Work-Life Balance: Dropbox values the well-being of its employees, promoting a healthy work-life balance to ensure personal and professional fulfillment.”
6. Ansys
Software tech company, Ansys has only 11.23% of its staff unhappy about the work-life balance on Glassdoor. With an overall score of 4.2 stars and employees generally praising Ansys for its work-life balance, there isn’t much to complain about. Staff love the fact that the work is evenly paced, and they even have the option to work from home.
A Senior Technical Project Manager at Ansys notes: “Fairly relaxed work-life balance. Avoid working past 5 pm.”
7. PTC
Employees at PTC are generally satisfied with the work culture and work-life balance offered by the software company – just 11.6% of the employees have issues with it. PTC has something called summer Fridays where everyone clocks out by 1 pm throughout June, July, and August, which in our books is a great policy for employee satisfaction.
A Software Development Engineer who’s been working at PTC for more than 3 years in his Glassdoor review states: “PTC is a great company to work for. With supportive benefits packages and a friendly culture, you can definitely tell that the management cares and strives to create a healthy work-life balance while still meeting production deadlines.”
8. Adobe
When your staff at Adobe swear by the fact the lights at HQ turn off at 5:30 on the dot, you best believe the computer software company has a thriving work-life balance – only 11.69% of employees are dissatisfied with it. Employees on Glassdoor also report that the benefits offered by the company outweigh the workload.
This is what a Senior Director who has worked for Adobe for more than 8 years has to say: “Still challenging to work across silos but comparing it to five years ago things have improved, but by bit. What doesn’t change is it’s a great culture and great work/life balance.”
9. Akamai
This American delivery company has an overall 4.5-star rating on Glassdoor, which means that things can only get better from here, for employees especially. Most staff members praise Akamai for its good work-life balance, with only 12% of employees finding issues with it. The company has a hybrid work environment where staff get to choose how many of their workdays they want to spend at the office, if at all.
A Solutions Architect in his Glassdoor review of Akamai notes: “Excellent Work life balance, great work culture and amazing leaders.”
10. Oracle
A good, 6808 reviews on Glassdoor report on how the work-life balance at Oracle is amazing — just 12% of a total of 52142 reviews seem to disagree. Employees state that they’ve only ever known 40-hour work weeks with flexible work arrangements.
An anonymous employee at Oracle had this to say on Glassdoor: “I have been at Oracle a little over 7 years, in a non-sales capacity. Some very smart people here, benefits are relatively solid and work-life balance is great (I and a lot of my peers can work remotely).”
Source: Fullstack Academy