Poor middle management - Escalations Engineer KnowBe4 Employee Review

3.0
16 July 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The wider business and senior leadership are fantastic, nothing but great things to say about them. Senior leadership (VP/Director+) genuinely care and it shows. Technical teams getting part of the sales/commission bonus is nothing short of incredible, Working time was very flexible. Wider business was very friendly.

Cons

Inexperienced and emotionally immature middle management fostered a culture of 'Just get it done because that's what my leadership said, don't speak back to me'. They have no interest in making impactful change or improvements to the day-to-day life of engineers at the coal face. They only exist to parrot the KPIs from on high. Tasks turned into a metrics driven top-down approach, people would rather play it safe politically instead of question bad practices and short sighted decisions. During my tenure, I saw 0 promotions within my team, but had 4 different line managers. Too much onus on KPIs and metrics forces boots on the ground to spend time on box ticking exercises such as mandatory weekly training on basic HR principles and disincentives driving meaningful change. As one of only two senior engineers left in the team, I was on-call every other week from October to April despite weekly feedback that this wasn't sustainable and had a detrimental effect on my sleep and work/life balance.

Explore other reviews about KnowBe4

5.0
22 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

A welcoming and inclusive environment with a patient onboarding team. Work is always fun and collaborative!

Cons

Training and onboarding process is thorough but only to ensure all employees are keeping themselves and the companies information safe online!

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KnowBe4 Response
2d
We’re glad to hear you feel supported! Open communication is a huge priority for us — and feedback like yours keeps us motivated. 🤗
1.0
6 May 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The product has some strong aspects, but it’s ultimately outdated, and customers are already planning to replace us at their next renewal.

Cons

The new CEO has been very difficult to work under. There’s a lack of structure and clear vision, and he hasn’t been able to inspire the team. Instead, the focus has shifted to constant pressure to perform, which often feels excessive. My manager is worried about job security, and that stress trickles down to the rest of us. I have been shouted at and more. HR won't do nothing. Turnover has been extremely high—people are leaving left and right. Someone I spoke with last week is already gone, and several more are expected to leave soon. Many of the new hires seem to have prior connections with the CEO or other managers, and it’s obvious who’s in the inner circle. Customer complaints are increasing, making it hard to stay motivated. Competitors are ahead, and we’re often asking customers to wait for features that take a long time to deliver—and don’t always work as expected. Instead of focusing on fixing issues, the company seems more focused on letting people go. This is a very toxic place.

8
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KnowBe4 Response
2d
We’re taking steps to make KnowBe4 the best place to build a career. If you’d like to share specific feedback, please connect with us at peopleops@knowbe4.com.
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