Upward Engine Reviews

4.2

75% would recommend to a friend

(50 total reviews)
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Paul Staten

92% approve of CEO

77% positive business outlook

Upward Engine has an employee rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars, based on 50 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Upward Engine employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Media and communication industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

50 reviews
2.0
23 July 2023

Very odd place

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

This organization boasts an impressive collection of skilled professionals and vibrant personalities! The perks and benefits offered, beyond monetary compensation, are substantial and the senior leadership is commendable in their provision of employee autonomy, permitting team members to balance work and personal life, (mostly) free from unnecessary guilt.

Cons

Though the company's head is consistently optimistic and showcases a myriad of achievements, the sobering reality is that the organization has outgrown his capability to manage effectively. He instigates a superficial popularity-based environment, overlooking tangible performance deficits and rewarding employees more for social conformity than merit. This approach inadvertently cultivates a sense of exclusion among many staff members, who are left feeling unvalued and outcast for reasons they struggle to articulate.

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Upward Engine Response
2y
Thank you for the awesome compliment for the staff. We completely agree! The company continues to grow under the leadership of the CEO and will continue to grow as we continue to work on bettering services for clients and improving employee satisfaction. The proof is in the harvest and we continue to do amazing for our clients and earn their business month after month! This review was left at a time in the company's history when 3 acquisitions were made at the same time and we were figuring out processes and procedures to best accommodate the growth. We have an amazing team right now and we have really brought our culture back to an amazing place. We wish this reviewer could see how things are now over half a year later.
1.0
7 Apr 2023

Fake culture and poor upper management

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Most of the low level people are great to work with.

Cons

Management team is very toxic and full of people that do not know what they are doing. There are many requests that will fall on deaf ears and processes that will take a long time with no one seeming to care since they outsource almost all of their work. There is no room to grow as management makes sure that they are never in a place to be challenged by employees that are smarter. Compensation is also very low and I once heard the CEO say that he would rather outsource then pay people what they are worth. Unless you have been an employee of 5+ years, then they do not care about you.

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Upward Engine Response
2y
I wanted to address this straight on. I have never said I would rather outsource than pay people what they are worth. That is absurd. The claim of outsourcing almost all of our work is just false. Our entire on page SEO process is all done in house by our US team. Link building and some technical SEO is done by our amazing team in the Philippines. I could go through each service and address how the PH team members help us in many ways but to say that we outsource most of our work is just wrong. I welcome any questions there for anyone looking to work here. We have an amazing team of leaders who are all working together to accomplish great results for our clients. We continue to grow and will continue on that trajectory! -Paul Staten - CEO
3.0
16 Aug 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Upward Engine is a solid company that experienced rapid growth, and I loved working there. The team had a tight-knit, family feel, and the company culture was supportive and collaborative. The work was rewarding, with opportunities to grow and learn. They also offered a flexible hybrid schedule, which made it easier to balance work and personal life.

Cons

As the company expanded, it fell into some of the pitfalls of corporate growth. Decisions started being driven more by the bottom line than by the well-being of the team. I was laid off after training my assistant, who was kept on because she was paid less. It was disheartening to see great, hard-working employees let go in favor of cutting costs.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 50 Reviews

Glassdoor has 54 Upward Engine reviews submitted anonymously by Upward Engine employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Upward Engine is right for you.