Lots of Promise, Mostly Empty - Anonymous employee Wallaroo Media Employee Review

2.0
15 June 2022
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The co-workers were all genuinely great people and many of them are still close personal friends.

Cons

The business approach of Wallaroo seems to be "promise it now, figure it out later". These promises are rarely feasible or sincere, which leads to a lot of clients feeling entitled to services above and beyond what they paid for, and many employees being stuck at a salary well below their worth. Revenue sharing, semiannual raises, and quarterly bonuses were all promised during my time at Wallaroo, but none of these policies were actually administered. Management boasts about having a robust benefits offering beyond insurance and retirement savings (Doordash credits, a Calm subscription, etc.) and points to these benefits as a justification for low pay. This is disingenuous, as the monetary value of all these benefits would be covered (and then some) by a 2% raise for even the lowest-paid employees. Employees are seen as entirely replaceable, as new interns are routinely brought in from the university down the street to replace longtime employees looking for growth/raises. These students are then offered low salaries on the empty promise of future growth. This was the case for me. I started as an unpaid intern and when I let management know that my internship requirement was met and I wanted to talk about starting as a paid employee, they initially pushed back, insisting that my internship was too short. I was eventually hired full-time at a rate below market value on the promise that my salary would improve quickly if I performed well. I never received any kind of raise, even after having 4 separate conversations with management on the topic. During one of these discussions I asked what I could do better to merit a raise, and was told "you know your own strengths and weaknesses better than anyone else, so I encourage you to reflect on them and work to improve". He then told me he would have a number for me in the next few days. A week went by with no news, so I sent multiple follow-up messages in the following days. They were all ignored. My co-workers at Wallaroo were some of the most talented and hardworking people I've worked with, and we all often had to go above and beyond to try and satisfy the unrealistic promises made to clients, sometimes being required to do things outside of our job descriptions that we had no prior training for. Rather than being rewarded for our efforts, the profits Wallaroo made went into a variety of new personal ventures for the CEOs. There is no HR department either, so these issues as well as issues with diversity and inclusion could not be properly addressed and were most often downplayed or outright ignored by management if/when discussed. Wallaroo will not invest in you, no matter what lip service they pay to the importance of their employees.

Explore other reviews about Wallaroo Media

5.0
21 Sept 2023
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

-There's a monthly performance bonus incentive on top of base salary. -We can work fully remote if we want to. -I really like the people I work with. Everyone seems to get along and lift each other up. -I've grown to trust the leadership team over the last few years. -Growth Strategists have a lot of responsibilities, so we learn a lot really fast. -Some team activities are fun (granted we are limited being a remote team). -We have some really cool clients.

Cons

-Healthcare plan is okay, not the best. Dental is not included. -Clients will blame us for things that aren't our fault and we just kind of have to take it. Agency life I guess. -Sometimes it feels like the founders are trying to do too much at once.

1.0
20 Feb 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Years ago, Wallaroo was an amazing place to jump-start your career out of college. Your peers and management were down-to-earth and wanted to see you grow.

Cons

Expectations: Unless you are in the inner circle with senior leadership, expect to work weekends, holidays, birthdays, and most waking hours. When clients succeed, leadership takes credit. When clients fail, individual contributors are blamed. While there have been minimal cuts to leadership in recent years, several leaders have started looking or gone elsewhere due to low confidence in the company's direction. Former employees consistently describe this as one of the most toxic work environments they've experienced. Clients: High client churn stems from overpromising services and outcomes that the company cannot deliver due to insufficient headcount or expertise. Leadership requires employees to deliver subpar AI-generated content, leading to client churn. Operations: Despite financial challenges, leadership maintains expensive perks like their annual Cabo trip and leadership retreats and executive dinners. When employees request raises or team activities, they're told "money is tight" and to be more of a team player. Career Development: No growth opportunities exist here. Significant gender pay disparities persist—I witnessed pay gaps where employees with more experience and expertise earned considerably less than newer hires solely based on gender.

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