Skip to contentSkip to footer
      employer cover photo
      employer logo
      employer logo

      Hippo

      Engaged employer

      Hippo Reviews

      3.6

      60% would recommend to a friend

      (90 total reviews)

      Adam Lewis

      69% approve of CEO

      57% positive business outlook

      Ratings by category

      3.9

      Work/Life balance

      3.8

      Culture and values

      3.6

      Diversity and inclusion

      3.5

      Career opportunities

      3.3

      Compensation and benefits

      3.2

      Senior management

      Hippo has an employee rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 90 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Hippo employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Information Technology industry (3.9 stars).

      Reviews by job title

      90 reviews
      1.0
      24 Oct 2023

      Not what it used to be (and not in a good way)

      Intermediate ux designer
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business outlook

      Pros

      Lots of autonomy and independence, this will be perfect for some people but it’s not ideal for those who want more guidance and support (which will happen when people join a consultancy rather than freelance independently). There’s a bunch of passionate and talented individuals within Hippo but, it’s a shame they’re not valued by those in charge and actively involved in the company’s growth and development, as well as client work.

      Cons

      Where to begin! I joined Hippo under the impression it was a User Centred Design focused consultancy that cared about its employees as well as the work (both for the company internally and for clients). Unfortunately, it has slowly gotten worse and there is little-to-no care or support for employees at Hippo, unless they’re in the original members’ cliques or deliver above and beyond for clients, whenever the client wants something. There are almost no active professional communities from my experience as a User Experience Designer. Most times, you’d be convinced you worked as a sole freelancer without the support of an agency/consultancy around you! As the company has grown (way too quickly and without a transparent and employee-involved plan) Hippo has not kept up to speed with the care, support and development opportunities for employees at Hippo that are necessary when a company grows at the scale and speed that Hippo has done. Leadership seem to think they can continue the actions and behaviours that they did when Hippo was a smaller start-up. It’s not professional to have memes as your display picture when you’re on the board/in a leadership position; it’s unprofessional and will confuse new starters who aren’t in the same geographic office location. There is no consideration, let alone choice as to what client work you’re placed to work on. Mental health support is mostly a facade and despite a good number of mental health first aiders around the company, line managers have no training to support employees which is incredibly disappointing.

      avatar
      Hippo Response
      2y
      We are sorry that you feel your expectations were not met during your time at Hippo. We have recently appointed a Head of Design (which includes Service Design and User Experience) to lead this community, provide additional guidance and support and drive this professional community forward. We are also in the process of rolling out further line manager training to provide increased support for our Hippos. We have introduced additional support on projects through our Delivery Partners who support both the quality of our deliveries and provide a further level of support for people when they are working on a project. As we continue to grow, we are conscious of how the organisation meets the varied expectations of the growing number of Hippos, both existing and new, and recognise this as a challenge for us to continually be cognisant of. Helen Croft, Head of People Operations.
      1.0
      24 Nov 2023

      Empathy and People-Centric Branding Clash with a Troubling Reality

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business outlook

      Pros

      Nice employees - one strength at Hippo is the presence of a considerable number of employees who genuinely mean well and demonstrate a sincere commitment to the work they are doing.

      Cons

      The negatives at Hippo significantly overshadow any potential pros: Lack of Accountability - despite Hippo’s claims of empathy and selflessness, there is a notable lack of accountability at the top levels. Issues are often deflected rather than addressed, leading to a sense of frustration and helplessness among employees. A Culture of Blame –Hippo has fostered a culture where employees feel unsafe speaking up or taking risks. This atmosphere leads to a self-preservation mindset, with individuals more focused on protecting themselves and finding scapegoats. Influence of Senior Leaders - many senior leaders, seemingly aligned with investor interests, prioritise outward success over internal well-being. This has resulted in a disconnect between the company's public image and the reality of the workplace. Sexism in the Workplace - serious concern is the company's dismissive response to allegations of sexism and harassment. The mishandling of a thorough HR investigation, where women were doubted, subjected to countermeasures, and even quietly dismissed, reflects a troubling lack of commitment to a safe and inclusive workplace. Such a response not only fails those who were asked to participate in the investigation but perpetuates a toxic culture where serious issues are downplayed rather than appropriately addressed.

      avatar
      Hippo Response
      2y
      Thank you for comments and sharing your view on the commitment of the team in Hippo. In relation to the points you raise in advice to management, we take any allegations of discrimination or harassment very seriously and as per our policies we do not tolerate inappropriate behaviour towards anyone. Where an incident is raised these are thoroughly investigated either internally or via a third party. Whilst we cannot comment on any specific case, if following a detailed investigation, disciplinary action is necessary and the outcome is gross misconduct, then an employee’s contract is terminated. We have requested that this post is reviewed by Glassdoor under the Glassdoor Community Guidelines regarding "Verifiable Facts". Helen Croft, Head of People Operations
      1.0
      3 Oct 2023

      Sold it's soul

      Product owner
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business outlook

      Pros

      Some nice people, flexible working and good benefits

      Cons

      Same as a lot of the reviews recently. The company is working for the investors and growing as much as possible without due care. UCD has gone out the window and feels a lot more like an agency than a consultancy, doing whatever the client wants as long as it brings in the money.

      avatar
      Hippo Response
      2y
      Thank you for your feedback and sharing the things you enjoy about working at Hippo. Our growth plans are very much driven by us, rather than by our investment partner. In the 7 years of Hippo, we have seen an average of 30% year on year growth. These plans have been delivered through a combination of steady organic growth alongside two acquisitions. As we have become larger we have consciously provided more visibility to Hippos about our business plans in response to requests from our employees. As external environmental factors change (e.g. high inflation, pressure on client budgets etc.) these naturally affect the business, which ultimately require the management team to manage these impacts (on the business plan) resulting in an increased focus on business performance (which is a common business practice). The challenges of consultancy are to guide and advise our clients to achieve the outcomes they seek but to recognise that they are the ultimate decision maker so they may choose not to follow the advice of the consultants they partner with. This may sometimes mean that the approach we’re asked to follow is not our preferred one. One of our core values to having a human, people-centric approach therefore would encourage any Hippo to talk to us directly about any concerns they may have. Please feel free to approach anyone on the management team (who have an open door approach) or raise any issues via your line manager. Helen Croft, Head of People Operations
      Viewing 1 - 3 of 90 Reviews
      Related searches: Hippo jobs | Hippo salaries | Hippo benefits | Hippo interviews
      ReviewsHippo reviews

      Glassdoor has 98 Hippo reviews submitted anonymously by Hippo employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Hippo is right for you.