Forrester Reviews

Pros

Can be interesting work and provides a platform for exposure in the industry. Be opportunistic and make the most of your connections while you're at the company as it can be very beneficial for future jobs.

Cons

A treadmill for most analysts to maintain their advisory and document numbers, thus quality of work and life-balance often suffers. A lot of talk and aspirations to change this but, when push comes to shove, it's a numbers game. Favoritism and politics at senior management levels means you had better be in the right group with sway. HR is useless when dealing with personnel issues and the lack of diversity in the workforce is overt.

Pros

Great culture. Some of the smartest people I have ever worked with. The benefits are outstanding. The hiring process was the best I ever experienced. I am relatively new to the organization and my co-workers have been so helpful and wonderful. It is a pleasure to go in to work everyday.

Cons

I can’t think of any.

Pros

- If you want one, you have a clear path to a platform, both internally and with clients. Capable folks get a seat at the table to really influence decision-making and direction. - It’s rare to find a bad manager here; a lot of training and resources put into empowering team leaders - Brand name carries weight - Lots of opportunities to move between functions - Solid benefits (recently extended parental leaves) - Flexible commute (in some cases), good work/life balance - Stimulating work and access to tremendous resources in the form of smart people and research

Cons

The company has been changing and innovating a lot the last few years, which is great, but executing on that change has missed and missed often. Growth pressures mean that new solutions are often put to market before they’re properly vetted, and when they fail, there’s a clear drag in morale. Recent acquisitions (FeedbackNow, Glimpzit) and product pursuits are initially touted as the next big difference-maker but quickly fade into the background. The company has pushed to digitize many client experiences but development resources to support them are simply not there. This means that Forresterites are asked to bring sub-par tech to their clients and hold the bag when something doesn’t deliver. Whether you ask for it or not, sales pressures are behind each and every role at Forrester, even if you work in Product. Pressures to renew, enrich, and hit revenue targets often distract from the core goal of driving strategy through thought leadership and research. This means that non-quota carriers are expected to play a key role in the sales process without being compensated for doing so. The HQ manages to lack both the perks of being in a city (next to no food or entertainment nearby) AND the benefits of working in the burbs (expensive parking and congested commute). Forrester is very conservative with compensation; some feel that the culture makes up for it, others don’t and move on. Whether it’s related or not, attrition has been an issue more recently.

Pros

Lots of smart people, work-life flexibility, great management, lots of social activities

Cons

Compensation and benefits are competitive but there is room for improvement.

Pros

Nicest & overall most competent group of people I ever worked with. Extremely supportive managers, which is a rarity in professional services firms let me tell you. Fairly generous benefits and nice little perks like the ice cream truck in the summer!

Cons

It seems to be an overly complex organization that takes a while for new employees to figure out. There's an oft-told inside joke about the "clown car" of products & services.