The tech industry has long been held up as a field where ambitious employees can earn high salaries and make an impact on their workplace – but in recent years, some of the shine has come off these careers.
A recent analysis by Fullstack Academy – a company which trains tech workers in areas including coding, cybersecurity and data analytics – found that when employees at major tech companies review their former employers on Glassdoor, their assessments are frequently critical.
This is particularly the case when it comes to work-life balance – with “keywords, like ‘burn out,’ [appearing] 73% more frequently in the cons section than wellness keywords like ‘well-being’ in the pros section,” according to Fullstack.
This analysis comes at a time of increased instability in the tech economy. In the last three years, tech layoffs have been on the rise with Tesla, Google, and Microsoft all announcing reductions in the size of their workforces. More than 60,000 jobs have already been removed from the industry this year, according to a recent TechCrunch analysis.
In addition to the widespread layoffs, the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent economic instability led to many workers reprioritizing what they wanted from their careers. When Indeed released its Best Jobs of 2024 report, only three positions in the top 25 were tech roles – down from 11 just one year prior.
In order to assess the quality of life for big tech employees, Fullstack Academy analyzed reviews for more than 100 major tech companies, with more than 250 Glassdoor reviews. Negative reviews tended to reference long hours, burn out and feeling overworked. Positive feedback, on the other hand, went to companies offering remote work and paid time off.
“Overall, only 52% of frequently reviewed big tech companies have a good or very good work-life balance,” the Fullstack analysis reads. “This percentage is slightly better than the 40% of all companies in the analysis with a good or very good rating but still shows that even the higher-profile tech companies still struggle with achieving this balance.”
Read on to see the five companies with the best work-life balance and the five companies with the worst, according to the Fullstack Academy analysis.
