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Cornerstone OnDemand

Engaged employer

Cult of Personality, Culture of Fear - Marketing Cornerstone OnDemand Employee Review

2.0
11 Jan 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Cornerstone's stock price is growing (and all employees get options), as is its marketshare. Financially, the company is in great shape and works with some of the world's biggest brands. Great internal mobility and growth opportunities abound if you're willing to put in the sweat equity. Lots of cross-functional and international exposure, too.

Cons

At Cornerstone, work is life, and there is no balance. The culture is very social, but to the point where almost every night or weekend is spent at some sort of mixer or co-worker function, and while not explicitly mandatory, you better be there. That is if you're not stuck at the office putting in another 80 hour work week. Management gives employees little or no direction and for an HR company, has absolutely no discipline behind things like internal promotions, performance reviews, career paths, etc. The workload and expectations are very similar to a start-up company (overwhelming), and CSOD is staffed like one, which is OK if you're still in early growth, but this is a 1.5 billion publicly traded company. Management rules by fear, internal politics and backstabbing are endemic and arbitrary, and employees are incredibly disengaged. Customers are also increasingly dissatisfied, which makes sense because they're sold a product that doesn't deliver on how its being sold. Sleek design can't hide its archaic code base, frequent bugs, and terrible customer service post-implementation.

Explore other reviews about Cornerstone OnDemand

5.0
7 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great leadership. Clear vision for growth and success.

Cons

Acquisitions created competing products and culture.

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Cornerstone OnDemand Response
1mo
Thanks for sharing this; it's great to hear your positive outlook on our leadership and vision as that’s something we really care about. There can be challenges that come along with acquisitions, especially when it comes to aligning products and culture. While these decisions are made to support growth and long-term success, they don’t always feel seamless in the moment. Again, I appreciate you sharing your perspective and wish you all the best. -Carina Cortez, Chief People Officer
2.0
8 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Originally, this company was very supportive. There were many layers of resources meant to make employees successful. After the purchase of the company by PE they have cut software, resources and staffing to increase profits. I would not say there are many advantages over other employers in the field today. The ability to work from home is a pro. Complexity of the software is a pro because the work isn't boring. There's always something to learn.

Cons

- no real path to advancement, Cornerstone used to promote from within, over the past several years the majority of hired have been external - management cares a lot about stats but doesn't care to educate employees on how to meet those expectations. Ex. If a employee gets a negative survey it isn't reviewed and strategies aren't shared for improvement. If an issue goes on longer than expected and it puts employees out of compliance with the resolution time standard, employees are told to fix it with no strategies for doing so. There is no analysis of issues. One caveat: my team has a new manager so there is a possibility that things will improve; however the directives come from the top down, so upper management still has a problematic philosophy.

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