Awkwardly still acting like start up - Anonymous employee Appian Employee Review

1.0
6 Oct 2023
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The company provides an excellent opportunity to enhance one's professional profile within tech. It is composed of highly skilled individuals who are truly exceptional at their work. The company recruits top-tier talent and fosters an environment that allows for some effective utilization of their skills.

Cons

Promotion and salary increases may not be readily available at this organization. It is possible to be compensated below market value compared to competing companies. While individuals are initially hired for their exceptional skills and abilities, they may eventually find themselves restricted to menial tasks without opportunities for professional growth within the company. Additionally, employees are frequently burdened with excessive workloads without any additional compensation. While this situation may be manageable during times of company stability and progress, it can become unbearable during periods marked by short sighted and poor decision-making that creates a poor work environment. There have been several instances where individuals have departed from the company without securing alternate employment. Conversely, some individuals have been successfully recruited by other organizations, leading to a decline in our retention of top talent. Historically, the retention of staff has been a persistent problem faced by our company, with brief improvements that have been followed by various challenges. This organization is currently in the process of transitioning from a start-up to a more established industry leader. While this journey holds potential for excitement, it unfortunately involves making decisions that negatively impact employee morale. The company's stated values are not consistently upheld and are sometimes manipulated to align with the achievements desired by leadership. Over time, work-life balance has deteriorated, leading to a decline in the overall culture of the company. Additionally, there is a push for employees to return to the office, even to the extent of altering requirements, solely to justify the substantial investment made in the office building. This situation is less than ideal for a company that strives to be viewed as a leader, and it is imperative that corrective measures are taken and understood where the true issues exist. I have never experienced a workplace environment where so many individuals express discontentment with the current standards and openly discuss their intentions of pursuing other job opportunities. The prevailing consensus among employees for remaining in this company is primarily driven by the challenging job market and the ever-increasing cost of living.

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Appian Response
2y
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us; we’re very sorry to hear about your experience. Fostering a positive work environment and upholding our company values are of critical importance at Appian. Your feedback illuminates two important areas of opportunity on and for which we are currently making improvements and developing new processes: soliciting feedback and communicating information. At the company level, we rely on our employees across all levels to raise concerns accompanied by recommendations. At the team level, we strive to foster an environment such that when circumstances like changes in workloads arise, employees feel empowered to raise such concerns with their managers, and managers in partnership with their own leaders feel empowered to make decisions in the best interest of the business, their team members, and our customers. We aim to provide timely and transparent communication around organizational processes and policies (Promotion and Merit cycles/opportunities, Return to Office, etc.) as well as around changes that impact both teams’ and individuals. This said, it’s feedback like yours that’s helped inform the way in which we’ll approach our communication strategy moving forward. As a note on our Promotion and Merit cycle timeline: our formal Promotion cycles occur twice per year, in April and October, with the Merit cycle (compensation review) occurring only in April. If you believe your talents are not being utilized to their fullest extent at any time, we encourage you to speak with your manager about how these skills may be utilized in advance of a promotion cycle. However, promotions are not the only opportunity for our employees to grow or maximize their exceptional talents; to this end, we invite you to consider whether or not you may be interested in growth opportunities outside your current role or department in the form of either a rotational opportunity or an internal transfer. If either of these opportunities are of interest to you, we recommend starting the conversation with your manager or HR Business Partner. Our continued hope is to provide meaningful and challenging opportunities for our employees in an open and supportive environment.

Explore other reviews about Appian

5.0
23 Oct 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I loved my co-workers. Everyone was super helpful and a lot of people were friendly. I enjoyed hanging out with them during lunch hour. People thought very highly of the management. I had a boss that really cared about me personally and was fair but kind. The company also valued personal development and gave time to learn new skills and build side projects for the company.

Cons

I did not find it meaningful to work on software that was helping big corporations.

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Appian Response
7mo
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We’re glad you found your colleagues and management to be supportive and valued opportunities for learning and growth during your time with Appian. We also recognize your input on the types of projects you worked on and continue to explore ways to make our work meaningful for both our employees and the organizations we serve.
1.0
21 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Cool office & perks, unlimited PTO.

Cons

My manager ultimately stabbed me in the back. Being a recruiter here is a trap. No one has your back, your are just an order taker and every stakeholder has unrealistic and unfair expectations. The founders have their hand in the entire recruiting process and it makes it so unbelievably hard. They want top talent but have not top talent pay. They are not flexible on RTO so good luck.

5
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Appian Response
1w
Thank you for sharing your perspective and highlighting our employee perks. We acknowledge your feedback regarding the recruiting process, stakeholder alignment, and our Return-to-Office guidelines. Providing a supportive environment where expectations are clear and fair is something we hold ourselves accountable to every day. While our commitment to an in-person workplace is rooted in building strong collaboration and connection across our teams, we are equally focused on ensuring our leaders have the tools and training necessary to support every department. We appreciate you taking the time to help us look for ways to improve.
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