Upwork reviews

3.8

60% would recommend to a friend

(632 total reviews)
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Hayden Brown

57% approve of CEO

44% positive business outlook

Upwork has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 632 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Upwork employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Informationstechnologie industry (3.9 stars).

Reviews by job title

632 reviews
1.0
Apr 1, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

It was cool to actually work for corporate and be involved in the inner workings of the company and pick up some different viewpoints.

Cons

In the two years I worked there, I never saw my manager as we worked remote and did not have the option for camera on meetings. I was told "We encourage our employees' personalities to shine." A few days later my manager said, "I'm going to need you to stop talking so much.” Another time I asked how much time I could take off. I was told "As much as you'd like but too much might mean you don't really have time for this job." I was told to take time I needed when I was sick but then I was reprimanded for “schedule violation”. I wasn’t permitted to collaborate or communicate with my colleagues. I wanted to know what I was doing wrong with my work as I felt I was following instructions and then was told I was wrong, adjusted and was told I was wrong again because they changed their minds. I asked if I could see how the rest of my team performed the same tasks and it was a no. Overall, there was some gaslighting and lack of actual support from my managers.

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Upwork Response
4y
We really appreciate you taking the time to provide your feedback and are very sorry your experience was not a positive one during your time at Upwork. These are not acceptable practices here and we will address the issues. Please know we also always have an open door and would welcome your feedback to our HR team. Thank you again for taking the time to write your feedback. - Upwork HR
5.0
Mar 21, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great company to work for. They offer the great benefits of any Silicon Valley-based org and deliver a world class solution that solves real business problems. You will learn a lot about the human capital market and get a chance to support clients across all departments; marketing, customer service, finance, IT, HR, etc. The events and office are all top notch. Made a lot of great accommodations during COVID and put their employees first. Offers career growth and leaders that are willing to help.

Cons

Not necessarily a con, but be aware the first thing you are selling (in most instances) is the value independent freelancers and agencies bring to a business then selling why Upwork is the best solution to support that new strategy. For a majority of companies, large-scale independent workforce strategies are still a new concept so if you are coming from a SaaS company that had a more traditional offering with a transactional sales-cycle expect it taking time to learn.

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Upwork Response
4y
Thanks for taking the time to leave this review! So happy to hear you feel fulfilled by your work and happy with the culture and growth opportunities here at Upwork. Please feel free to reach out to HR if you have any ideas about how we can make things even better! - Upwork HR
3.0
Dec 3, 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

This company is wonderful. But as of lately there has been an unprecedented amount of turn over not only in the SDR zone but also from middle management. which leads me to believe that there is some sort of impasse from upper management (potentially an ivory tower complex). The company treats all of its employees unbelievable well while they are working in their current position. Yet, what I have noticed is any time someone tries to take a step forward in their professional career at Upwork, the result is them leaving the company for an opportunity somewhere else. So if you love the SDR this is the company for you. If you are looking to develop into a new position I would reconsider applying.

Cons

Poor leadership choices and transparency. I've heard the promotion process is somewhat near impossible to accomplish. Sales metrics have been set amusingly high and management gets frustrated when not a single member of the sales org hits quota.

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Upwork Response
4y
Hi there, thank you so much for taking the time to write this review. We really appreciate your candidness in your feedback. We would love to discuss with you further to hear more; please slack our HR channel so we can set up some time 1:1 to hear more about the areas of opportunity. - Upwork HR
Viewing 157 - 159 of 632 Reviews

Glassdoor has 919 Upwork reviews submitted anonymously by Upwork employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Upwork is right for you.