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The Future Laboratory

Is this your company?

Do you think the rest of these reviews were written by people honestly and by choice? - Anonymous employee The Future Laboratory Employee Review

1.0
Sep 30, 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

There are cute dogs in the office. That's literally it. I'm having to write these words as I cannot submit a review with a pros section of less than 20 words.

Cons

Where do I start. Very low pay and a massive workload. The budgeting here is crazy as every week they seem to fire 3 people out of the blue then seem to hire 3 more on lower salary to do the same job. Ignore these other reviews where 'happy employees' are telling you how 'convivial' or 'crebral' it is to work here. You won't be respected or listened to at all. We work under huge pressure in a mouse infested office. No joke when mice die under the floorboards the stench is unbearable and the managers just stick a diffuser on top of it. It's normal practice to find people crying in the toilets because they are being asked to cope with far too much and they're afraid if they don't work without any kind of break until late into the evening every night they will lose their job on Friday. Forget about career progression based on merit. Dont expect a promotion or pay rise no matter how long you've worked here or how many late nights and weekends you've worked. I wonder if this bad review will disappear like the last 3 shocking reviews did?

Explore other reviews about The Future Laboratory

5.0
Oct 4, 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

-Brilliant people and perspectives -Interesting projects -Learned a different way to think

Cons

-Pay wasn't as competitive -Didn't always feel heard by leadership

3.0
Apr 21, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- The projects are genuinely interesting, and The Future Laboratory is a strong name to have on your CV, particularly for building connections across agencies and brands. - You learn a huge amount, largely because teams are stretched and people often do the work of two roles. You build skills fast. I was often amazed by how much work is delivered by so few people. - There are people who are genuinely committed to making it a better place to work, but those efforts tend to come from the bottom up, not the top down. - For some, it can be a great learning environment. For many, it is difficult to sustain long-term. - I would recommend working there for a year or 18 months to absorb as much as you can, then taking those skills elsewhere where they are likely to be better rewarded.

Cons

- There is a real burnout culture. The environment often feels like 24/7 chaos, with constant stress driven by commercial pressure and lack of resources. - There can be a strong blame culture, with responsibility not always owned at leadership level and pressure often pushed downwards. - Salary is extremely low for the amount of work expected. Long hours are normal, especially for sales and PM employees managing clients across multiple time zones. No bonuses. Promotion pathways can feel inconsistent, with some employees staying in the same role for four years while others appear to progress every two years. - There is also too much reliance on stories of past success rather than enough focus on what the current team needs to succeed now. That nostalgia can become frustrating.

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