Growth within the company driven primarily by loyalty (vs merit) - Anonymous employee Upwork Employee Review

1.0
Feb 17, 2020
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Upwork's mission (To create economic opportunities so people have better lives) was great if it followed properly! The work environment was nice before.

Cons

Middle-tier management layer in Chicago needs a complete revamp. Top people are leaving the company due to stifling/suffocating work environment. The mid-level managers in Sales and Finance are looking for yes persons. They are hiring and promoting people not based on merit but on loyalty. Healthy disagreements and logical discussions are shut down and counted against you.

Explore other reviews about Upwork

5.0
Feb 25, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great people, very approachable, interesting problems

Cons

A lot of short term thinking and near future optimization

2.0
Jun 5, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Pay and benefits were pretty good. Only reason I stayed.

Cons

Chaotic leadership. People are constantly busy doing things that don't matter as there is no clear understanding of what the strategy is or what success looks like.

1
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All