Does Instrument pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Instrument employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.2 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Instrument. This rating has decreased by 3% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Instrument?

59% of Instrument employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Instrument 3.8 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.2 for culture and values and 3.4 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Instrument?

Designer (9) , Developer (6) , Graphic Designer (6) , Senior Producer (4) , Senior Strategist (4) , Senior Developer (3) , Strategist (3) , Associate Design Director (2) , Creative Director (2) , Design Director (2) , Senior Software Developer (2) , Software Engineer (2)

What are the pros of working at Instrument according to real employee reviews?

"The people here are great." ((in 17 reviews)); "Competitive benefits." ((in 5 reviews)); "Your coworkers will be great." ((in 4 reviews)); "Clear career growth path." ((in 3 reviews)); "Beautiful work space." ((in 3 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Instrument according to real employee reviews?

"Poor leadership" ((in 9 reviews)); "Software roles have below average pay." ((in 5 reviews)); "Low diversity" ((in 5 reviews)); "Lots of layoffs, you’re dodging bullets all the time" ((in 4 reviews)); "Low salary and increasingly poor culture" ((in 3 reviews))

What are employees saying about Instrument layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Instrument layoffs and their outlook for job security at Instrument in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Instrument locations?

Portland , New York , Los Angeles , San Francisco , Anaheim , San Jose

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Instrument

Instrument reviews

3.75/5 - Designer Instrument Employee Review

4.0

Jan 23, 2021

Designer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- Smart, compassionate peers - A very successful agency - Pretty good work life balance

Cons

- Pay is lower than places like WK - Low diversity - Inconsistent and unclear promotions

Instrument Response

We appreciate your notes of both pros and cons in your experience working with us. We hope that our internal transparency on our representation goals, why they are important and what our goals are, is helpful as you track our progress over the next few years in this area. We also hope that our efforts with the internal Career Progression Framework start to show more consistency and clarity in the path to promotion, so you can feel confident that each leader is being held to consistent expectations before advocating for a team member's promotion. Thanks again for sharing.

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5.0

Jun 26, 2026

Design director

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great company with great people. Seamless life, work balance, and a very nice company culture.

Cons

No big cons as far as my concern. The pay can be slightly better, but it's okay compared to other agencies' standards.

3.0

Jun 24, 2026

Graphic designer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The people here are great. Every team feels fairly connected, even for a 250+ person agency. Work/life balance is the best I've experienced at an agency so far. Pay is fair and scales depending on where you live and your experience overall. Work has the potential to be interesting, but most clients we bring in are not looking for ground-breaking work.

Cons

The benefits are not extraordinary, other than generous PTO. Recently removed a sabbatical program. Layoffs that come as a surprise, with scrambles only months later to fill the eliminated roles. Freelance hiring is hit or miss. Publicly-owned with a parent company that doesn't align with Instrument's morals. Leadership feels fairly disconnected and not genuinely interested in resolving the low morale amongst the larger team. Seemingly more interested in advertising themselves and using AI than in focusing on craft and high-quality projects. Constant leadership departures create anxiety.

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