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      Handshake

      Engaged Employer

      Handshake reviews

      3.1

      41% would recommend to a friend

      (289 total reviews)

      Garrett Lord

      41% approve of CEO

      35% positive business outlook

      Ratings by category

      3.2

      Compensation and benefits

      3.1

      Diversity & inclusion

      3.0

      Work/Life balance

      2.7

      Career opportunities

      2.6

      Culture & values

      2.3

      Senior management

      Handshake has an employee rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars, based on 289 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Handshake employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Education industry (3.7 stars).

      Ratings by demographic groups

      Reviews by job title

      289 reviews
      1.0
      Nov 8, 2023

      No one is happy

      Sales
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      The company’s mission is really the only current pro.

      Cons

      I would strongly recommend that prospective employees and other stakeholders thoroughly review Glassdoor ratings. These reviews often highlight consistent themes that reveal the company's actual culture and operational issues. Beginning with the entire leadership team (minus chief education strategy officer), it's imperative to make changes. Their lack of empathy, misallocation of funds and resources, and persistent poor decision-making in prioritizing projects have consistently harmed the company's future outlook and prospects. The company's mission will likely struggle to succeed unless it is acquired. There's a clear presence of favoritism at the executive level. Favored but inexperienced managers and individual contributors are seldom held accountable, leading to lower morale and poor culture. The nuances of the platform lead to considerable frustration for both customers and the team. There's a lack of resources and data available to assist customers effectively. Furthermore, leadership's decision-making prioritizes other factors over the well-being of students and customers. Several workforce reductions occurred throughout the year, with many disguised as performance reviews or by subtly pushing people out. It wouldn't be unexpected if this trend persists throughout this year and into the next. Additionally, it's interesting how many direct reports did not reach out to their laid-off teammates. They preach empathy yet fail to show any and that says a lot.

      avatar
      Handshake Response
      2y
      Thank you for providing your feedback. While we’re sorry to hear that this was your experience while working here, we value your candid thoughts. It’s never easy to have to say goodbye to coworkers, whether on the leadership team or individual contributors, but we firmly believe that the individuals we have in-seat are the right ones to carry our company forward. Our twice-annual review processes are opportunities for performance to be objectively evaluated through calibration conversations with managers across a team, with attendees from the People Team and senior leadership. We recognize the growth opportunities we have within the product itself, and are confident that we have the vision and leadership in place to close those gaps. Again, we are grateful that you took the time to share your thoughts, and appreciate your candor.
      2.0
      Jan 31, 2023

      Good potential; currently flailing.

      Marketing
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      In general, great, talented people who are very invested in making the product and company live up to its potential. Work is remote and flexible (though you can work and get snacks in one of the hub offices). My compensation package was very fair.

      Cons

      Disorganized, constantly changed priorities the whole time I worked there, and no one seemed to be in charge. "Students first" value is at odds with the product priorities. Some pretty glaring (and fundamental) product questions were glossed over. Plus the weird layoff situation where people were quite clearly laid off - NOT for performance issues - but leadership insists it wasn't layoffs. Basically, when the going got tough, Handshake decided to lay folks off, blame them, then take away benefits for current staff (a company-wide week off on July 4th is no longer offered) and slap a "high performance culture" label on everything.

      1.0
      Sep 15, 2019

      What happened to 'Act with Empathy'?

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Some of the individual contributors that work here are the best I've ever known. I'm so happy I met them.

      Cons

      - I was yelled at a few different times. Nothing was done to stop the behavior. I never even got an apology. It was supposedly accepted in the culture. - I had to re-live my high school and middle school experience every day at Handshake. The passive aggressive bullying, the whispering, the gossip. I still have nightmares about it to this day, and I left the company months ago. I'm hoping that writing this out for the world to see will help stop my nightmares. - The people who had been at Handshake for awhile were very defensive and skeptical of the new people coming in. It was very isolating, and it made me feel - as someone who was newer - that I wasn't ever going to be accepted. And when I left the company, most employees treated me as if they never knew me. It made me wonder what lies they spread about me when I left, or if they were scared to treat me like a friend. - The leadership ruins the potential for a positive work environment for everyone. This includes directors, VPs, and C-level. Not all of them - some of them I really admire and respect. But most made my life a living hell during my tenure at Handshake. I cried almost every day I worked there.

      Viewing 13 - 15 of 289 Reviews
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      ReviewsHandshake reviews

      Glassdoor has 459 Handshake reviews submitted anonymously by Handshake employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Handshake is right for you.