Great startup, still got lots to learn - Anonymous employee Gusto Employee Review

3.0
26 Aug 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Inclusive & transparent culture - Smart & friendly people

Cons

- Shoeless office (Ask your female employees if they like this) - No 360 reviews for managers - First time managers don't know what they are doing, need more training - So-called empowerment doesn't always exist, this might depend on the manager - No recognition/reward for good work - not very motivating - Lots of projects going on, it's pretty chaotic sometimes, projects get cancelled, directions change. Gusto runs very lean, so everyone is doing a lot. - No value placed on growing the employees' personal & career growth

Explore other reviews about Gusto

5.0
10 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Smart and friendly coworkers. Excellent team culture

Cons

Tunnel visions on AI a bit too much

2.0
20 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The product is genuinely good, too bad the same can’t be said for how they treat the people who sell it.

Cons

Leadership talks a big game about people-first culture but the reality doesn’t match. The Chicago office expansion felt like a poorly thought-out experiment, new hires were brought on without a clear long-term commitment, and layoffs came without warning, leaving people blindsided. Crossing a billion dollars in revenue and still cutting employees sends a clear message about where workers rank on the priority list. Remote work flexibility is also a glaring weakness. For a company selling HR software to modern businesses, their internal stance on where employees can work is surprisingly rigid and hypocritical. The “flexibility” messaging is mostly optics. The broader concern is the AI roadmap. The automation push feels less like an innovation strategy and more like a slow wind-down of the workforce. Employees aren’t blind to it, it creates anxiety and erodes trust. The culture of transparency they promote externally is largely a facade internally.

10
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