The company culture is great, but management and HR lack experience. - Designer New Balance Employee Review

The structure of the team is such that PMs/Merch act as designers, and are given a lot of freedom to effect the appearance, color, and fit of product. Opinions from this team based on personal likes are frequently given decision weight, as opposed to what is right for the consumer. As a designer, this is frustrating. Outdated/ inefficient processes that inexperienced managers cling to out of fear of becoming personally obsolete. A very high degree of waste within the development process: A sample process so large that it burdens internal teams and factories. I have never seen anything like this at the competitors I have worked at. It seems to stem from a PM/Merch. team that cannot visualize in 3D, yet is given carte blanch to "design." There is a high concern to simply hit calendar goals. You are more likely to get penalized for developing amazing product that is late, than designing basic "me too" styles on time. The end result of a system like this is that design has no incentive to innovate - especially when workloads are so much higher than any company I've ever worked for in relation to the amount of business done. Passive communication styles that create more work for those in the trenches. New Balance needs a serious dose of "Radical Candor" --- I was paid over 20% less than my male coworker with 5 yrs less experience and significantly less responsibility. I was told I "shouldn't discuss pay with coworkers" by both HR and my manager after highlighting this - which is completely illegal to say or suggest to an employee. The end result was that I was given a merit-less raise after 5 years of double digit category growth, but was still not brought to parity with my coworker. Shortly after this, my manager lied on my yearly review - putting words in the mouths of my team members in an effort to tarnish my reputation. I brought this to HR's attention, and was moved immediately under another manager at my request. The former manager received a promotion within a couple months, leaving me with questions about the values and integrity of the leadership at New Balance, which are often touted. In the end, I was willing to take a serious pay cut and change industries rather than continue to generate money for this company. I do not view my experience to be the case for most.