Deception is Key, and at Gusto, you're just a resource - Anonymous employee Gusto Employee Review

1.0
Jun 28, 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I will say because of the hiring from some of the lower level people, most people are accepting and friendly, and thus the bright people hired other creative, bright minds. Then when you see good people, that are stellar at their jobs, getting let go, you know something's wrong.

Cons

I worked here for basically a year. And it's like all the other reviews that are real state. This place is one big lie to be honest. They've started that whole thing where when you are hired, they are like HEY write a review on glassdoor about us right now, it's apart of your training. Which in itself, is deceptive. They claim that they are one big happy family, In reality there is an "in" crowd, and if you're not in it, you have to walk on egg shells and you never really know if your job is secure. They claim that they are in it for the long haul and that you should take vacation when you need it, and have a good work life balance. In reality, they over worked everyone, trying to hit quarter targets, and didn't pay anyone overtime or give anyone a bonus. They had to switch a bunch of people over to hourly to avoid work regulation law suits. They worked everyone to the bone, to where we couldn't have lives outside of the office, and then when this was brought up to hire ups, we were scolded. They say they look at people as people, and that you are not a resource like at other companies. Well at least at other companies they don't just blatantly lie about it. They worked everyone to the bone, and eventually laid off over half the Growth team, which included Sales and Marketing. They set up bogus PIPs that were lose lose situations, where the quotas were unattainable, and the work done to achieve crazy numbers was devalued. Then they made it seem like it was your fault when they let you go, even though later higher ups admitted they had screwed up in hiring, Which still doesn't make sense, because if they had as much as they said they did, and they cared about people, People could have still technically kept their jobs, as they were fulfilling about 140% of their role and definitely working more than what they were being compensated for. Would stay away from this place.

Explore other reviews about Gusto

5.0
Jun 1, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great culture, everyone is there to help

Cons

None so far, still pretty new

2.0
May 20, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The product is genuinely good, too bad the same can’t be said for how they treat the people who sell it.

Cons

Leadership talks a big game about people-first culture but the reality doesn’t match. The Chicago office expansion felt like a poorly thought-out experiment, new hires were brought on without a clear long-term commitment, and layoffs came without warning, leaving people blindsided. Crossing a billion dollars in revenue and still cutting employees sends a clear message about where workers rank on the priority list. Remote work flexibility is also a glaring weakness. For a company selling HR software to modern businesses, their internal stance on where employees can work is surprisingly rigid and hypocritical. The “flexibility” messaging is mostly optics. The broader concern is the AI roadmap. The automation push feels less like an innovation strategy and more like a slow wind-down of the workforce. Employees aren’t blind to it, it creates anxiety and erodes trust. The culture of transparency they promote externally is largely a facade internally.

7
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