Culture has taken a turn for the worst ever since Sherri Kottman left - Anonymous Forrester Employee Review

2.0
28 Jan 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- People and individual team culture is great. - Good work/life balance. - A wealth of knowledge that we have access to in our research.

Cons

- Terrible, below market compensation. - Ever since former CPO, Sherri left it seems empathy and humanity left with her. Executive team makes decisions based on George's personal MO without considering how it'll affect the "little" people. - Required 2 days/week in office policy implemented after George soaked up the positive attention from The Boston Globe article promoting "anywhere work." - No data or research to back up the return to office mandate. Saying that employees contribute "energy" to the office is a really funny and ironic reason. Especially for a research organization. - Executive team has completely lost touch. After laying off 80 people, some executives joined the next company meeting mentioning their second/ third vacation homes when most employees don't make enough money to afford ONE home. Get a clue. - After changing our PTO policy, pausing promotions, merit increases, and laying off 80 people, HR announced free access to Headspace--a meditation resource. Is this a prank? It feels like a prank. Where is Ashton Kutcher hiding? - The company does not invest enough into sales enablement, constantly changes product offering and access and simultaneously puts the blame on sales for our 2% decline in annual revenue. - Predatory policy against anonymous questions posted in company meetings. Many of the people who were vocal about concerns were laid off. Coincidence? I think not. - HUGE lack of diversity on the executive team and company as a whole. They try to make up for this by hosting DEI events but it is very clear that the company actually doesn't care about DEI. This is made evident by the lack of thought to accessibility and socioeconomic concerns with the return to office policy.

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5.0
25 Mar 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Resources provided. Your Manager is at your side along with your team in moments asks are required during complex issues are in process of being resolved.

Cons

Major laws include the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which require organizations to manage data transparently.

1.0
27 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I’m sorry to say, none.

Cons

The way the RA role is postured is dishonest and takes advantage of young professionals looking for research exposure. The title of the role, the fact that they ask for data experience and “excellent academic standing” and the early interview process lead you to believe that you will be engaging actively with and supporting the research. Once hired, it becomes clear that the role is purely administrative and you are there to push paper. They promise research exposure once you “gain the trust of your analysts,” but the lack of RAs and constant layoffs mean that even if that day comes, it’s unlikely you will have time to engage with the research in a meaningful way. Further, many analysts consistently speak down to RAs and clearly have a very low opinion of them, and if not, are only culturally used to leaning on RAs for simple administrative support, so I learned quickly that the idea of an RA engaging closely with research was almost unheard of at Forrester despite what I had been told.

2
avatar
Forrester Response
2d
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience, and I am sorry to hear it didn’t align with what you were hoping for in the role. At Forrester, the Research Associate role has long been viewed as a strong foundation for launching a career. We typically hear that it offers meaningful learning opportunities, exposure to the research process, and a valuable springboard into a wide range of paths, both within Forrester and beyond. That said, it’s critical that expectations are clear from the start and that employees feel they’re growing in line with those expectations over time. It sounds like that didn’t hold true for you. I’d welcome the opportunity to learn more about your specific experience if you’re open to it. Pls reach out for a call so i can understand more. Thank you again for your candid feedback, and I wish you all the best in your next steps. Jobina Gonsalves Chief People Officer
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