The worst experience of my career - Anonymous employee Gusto Employee Review

1.0
11 May 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

You get a paycheck I guess.

Cons

Where do I even begin? First off, I want to preface this by saying that I do not consider myself to be some GOAT employee, but I do take my job seriously, I’ve worked hard to be good at what I do, and I consider myself to be an easy-going co-worker who gets along with the vast majority of people. This place is so toxic. Over my 15 year career, I’ve never worked with a more slimy, back-stabbing group of people. I literally lost sleep over the stress this job gave me. I had the esteemed honor to work with the most pretentious, mean-spirited manager you can imagine. I get that some people may read negative reviews and think “it can’t be that bad, they must be overreacting”, and I wish that were true. I know the market is garbage, but PLEASE avoid this place. Especially the retirement org (formerly Guideline, which was acquired by Gusto in Nov 2025). Outside of the horrendous retirement org, the company is run by clueless leaders who think that AI is going to magically make their clunky, ad-filled product better. Everyone is an engineer now I guess. Don’t get me wrong, AI can be an incredible tool and the industry is only moving forward, but Gusto’s mindset here is laughable. There’s so much more I’d like to say, but I’m just going to leave this here and move on with my life. Thank god I found someplace that actually treats people with respect and kindness. A truly novel thought, I know.

Explore other reviews about Gusto

5.0
1 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great culture, everyone is there to help

Cons

None so far, still pretty new

2.0
20 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The product is genuinely good, too bad the same can’t be said for how they treat the people who sell it.

Cons

Leadership talks a big game about people-first culture but the reality doesn’t match. The Chicago office expansion felt like a poorly thought-out experiment, new hires were brought on without a clear long-term commitment, and layoffs came without warning, leaving people blindsided. Crossing a billion dollars in revenue and still cutting employees sends a clear message about where workers rank on the priority list. Remote work flexibility is also a glaring weakness. For a company selling HR software to modern businesses, their internal stance on where employees can work is surprisingly rigid and hypocritical. The “flexibility” messaging is mostly optics. The broader concern is the AI roadmap. The automation push feels less like an innovation strategy and more like a slow wind-down of the workforce. Employees aren’t blind to it, it creates anxiety and erodes trust. The culture of transparency they promote externally is largely a facade internally.

7
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