Not what it seems on the outside. Toxic place to work - Anonymous employee Barrel Employee Review

2.0
Sep 9, 2014
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

-Free lunch, beer, wine -Creative Days internal hackathon -Coworkers are young, friendly, ambitious people -Office space is pretty decent and has ping-pong table -Somewhat lenient time off policy

Cons

The marketing is flashy and perks are attractive but behind the gloss, it can be a pretty toxic place. -Poor work-life balance, often have to stay late for client work -Inexperienced, often unprofessional management with no creative or technical background and no sense of scoping -Complete lack of trust from management toward employees = frequent micromanagement, hovering, feedback sessions and reviews -No interest in quality of creative ideas and a ton of emphasis from the top on churning out websites quickly to turn a profit -Lots of office drama behind the scenes that influences the way they run the place -Poor compensation. Company tends to hire young people and pay them the least that they can get by paying them -Little to no room for growth and no such thing as moving up since the company has zero interest in nurturing talent -Turnover rate has been insanely high due to employee dissatisfaction at the hours they need to keep, the management and the low salaries

Explore other reviews about Barrel

5.0
Jan 27, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Amazing reputation in the Shopify ecosystem for an agency - Challenging work that forces you to adapt/learn constantly. Never a dull moment! -Good comp, amazing benefits [half day Fridays year round, home office set-up, professional development stipend, solid health insurance, etc..] - Opportunity to make real changes inside the company if your idea is solid - Unparalleled place for personal/professional growth. Lots of responsibility placed on each employee & a lot expected- but also a focus by leadership on the growth of each employee - Unlimited growth potential if you have areas you're interested in across design, Shopify, technical, sales, marketing, etc..

Cons

- Consistent moments of high stress & pressing timelines. Have to be prepared to handle multiple priority items at the same time over a long period of time

2.0
Feb 26, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good place to learn in early career

Cons

Not great work life balance

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