Great mission, bad execution - Program Manager BetterUp Employee Review

2.0
3 Feb 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- AMAZING coaches - Great pay (in tech org) - Smart, empathetic group of coworkers - The mission

Cons

- Focus on flashy over a solid, working product - Underpaid coaches - Disconnect between C suite (founders) and reality of product. CEO is so out of touch - The heavy focus on the mission and values (literally got stickers lol) felt like manipulation. Oh, we're not doing well because we need to focus on "do less deliver more"? That's not how this works. - Sometimes this company felt like going to school instead of being treated like an adult employee at work. So many reading assignments and discussions. I enjoyed the reading sometimes but it felt SO top-down, forced, and weird. "Sorry I can't help out around the house after a long day at work, I have to read this book my CEO/upper management said we had to read in 2 weeks so I can discuss the questions provided to me with my team." Often felt like if I said no I'd be punished, judged, or left out.

Explore other reviews about BetterUp

5.0
10 Apr 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

High achieving (but friendly, collaborative) environment, great for driven professionals looking to uplevel their skills and career, flexible work schedule allows me to prioritize school pick ups and personal life, company wide summer and winter breaks every year plus "inner work" days off and volunteer days, career opportunities for advancement (at least in my dept.), You'll work with some of the most capable, driven, kind individuals. I've been here for 3+ years and have no intention to leave, I like the work I do and the team I work with.

Cons

High achieving, high performance culture isn't for everyone (clearly). If you're looking to coast, this is not the place for you. There are pockets in the org with bad managers or poor leaders, and I agree they should be weeded out ASAP because they're clearly bringing down the majority of the org which is filled with decent people who want to do the right thing and do good work. I wish they had a 401k match.

1
4.0
29 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

great client pool - smart, motivated leaders and would-be leaders in large organizations worldwide; little need to do independent business development beyond keeping public profiles up to date; billing and tracking payments one master client instead of many individuals; learning opportunities now with CEUs; opportunities to network with other coaches

Cons

AI emphasis is resulting in fewer sessions and lower client engagement and satisfaction overall; developmental science behind coaching being dumped as primary product selling point in favor of giving superficial, cookie-cutter responses to vague corporate behavioral buzzwords, fees low with continual downward pressure; no longer sustainable for highly trained coaches as primary piece of income stream so best coaches leaving or reducing available hours. Like a couple other platforms, it's becoming outsourcing of shallow upskilling at scale for all but the most senior leaders. That senior work is still quality coaching but too underpaid for it to make sense as anything but a way to fill excess capacity.

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