Incredible People Experiencing Incredible Growing Pains. - Anonymous employee Global Prairie Employee Review

2.0
Nov 16, 2021
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Excellent, progressive benefits including an unlimited (albeit stringent) PTO policy, infant-at-work policy, loads of swag, employee ownership. - Colleagues are kind, hardworking, friendly and caring. - Swanky, modern offices with beautiful aesthetic and open workspace. - Broad range of clients and industries - Certified B-Corp - Good relationships with clients - Fast-growing company, with lots of recent hires and new business wins - Deep industry knowledge in various categories - Good compensation. On-par with the other agencies in the Midwest.

Cons

- Extreme focus on utilization, profitability and billable hours leads to poor practices among staff (prioritizing speed over quality, internal competition for billable hours, poor budget management) - There's a perception that working too much isn't ok, but those who do are rewarded and given leadership roles despite having zero ability to maintain a healthy work/life balance. Many Director-level employee owners are regularly working 50-60 hours a week, sending nightly and weekend emails/messages, and make no effort to communicate to younger employees that this is not healthy, ok, or sustainable. - Founders lead the company with a heavy hand, and often micro-manage teams and individuals who are brought in with strong pedigrees. - Little-to-no diversity. Most employees have similar backgrounds that include Ivy League educations and/or wealthy upbringings. While this is certainly a great way to hire smart people, it leads to a lack of varying opinions, perspectives and skillsets that are vital in the modern communications landscape. - Meeting load is pure insanity. A regular workday for a given employee, particularly more senior employees, includes 7-8 hours of meetings. This gives zero time for professional development, research, inspiration, or doing actual, tangible work. - Brainstorming system is antiquated and revolves around putting as many smart people on a call as can make the meeting, and hoping for good ideas. - Hiring process is glacial in pace. - Timelines are nearly always quick turn and overlap, requiring employees to solve client problems and do work that doesn't reach its full potential in a very limited amount of time. - No professional development efforts - High turnover rate (particularly in the last 2 years) - Little effort to promote the agency to potential clients. Website and case studies are dated, work is rarely, if ever, shared externally.

Explore other reviews about Global Prairie

5.0
May 19, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I have never witnessed intention and care like I have at Global Prairie. The level of care that is put into the treatment of the employees, the work we do, and our communities is astounding. The leadership team is unmatched: everyone embraces you for your unique strengths, contributions, and perspective and empowers you to use them to propel yourself and the organization forward. There are countless incredible leaders to look up to and who inspire you to do great work every day. Global Prairie is also fun: we work exceptionally hard but we also have a blast at the same time. I couldn't imagine a better place to work.

Cons

If you are a hard worker and are willing to put in your best every day, this is the place for you. Be prepared to work hard!

2
5.0
Jan 12, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The team at Global Prairie is truly exceptional. Nearly everyone I work with is an amazing balance of smart AND kind. We move quickly and do good work, together. We produce highly creative and highly strategic outcomes for our clients. Because of the employee ownership model, I feel closely connected to the growth of the company and my teammates. With regular "growth" or promotion cycles, career growth is completely attainable - especially if you're willing to put in the hard work, network with colleagues and lean into Global Prairie's values. There is flexibility within roles and high levels of collaboration across functions/departments. I'm coming from outside the agency world, but colleagues coming from other agencies feel a refreshing difference with the culture, community and working style at Global Prairie.

Cons

Like any client-services company, you need to be willing to put in work. Expect to work FULL workdays. Flexibility is also critical as accounts and teams within accounts transition a decent amount based on client and team needs.

2
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