Future

3.0

24 Jun 2022

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

The Future US Union was the best thing about this job. The pay was decent for employees in the union. The writers and editors are knowledgable and talented, and some of the best in their fields. It's a good place for entry-level writers to gain experience. There's a generous profit-pool bonus at the end of the year. There is flexibility to work from home.

Cons

The editorial staff is given impossible publishing and traffic targets. It's disheartening to be told month after month, year after year, that your team is not doing enough — especially when everyone is constantly putting in overtime in an effort to achieve impossible goals. Teams are severely understaffed. Burnout is rampant and morale is low. Writers and editors are churning out sub-par content, sacrificing quality for quantity, and occasionally even publishing plagiarism. What used to be a top-notch newsroom is now more of a content mill, and it's full of wasted talent. There's a lot of employee turnover. Future is losing a lot of its best talent in editorial, and their positions are being filled with underqualified candidates who are almost exclusively located in the UK. That's likely because they can underpay our colleagues in the UK, where the staff are not unionized. In many instances, writers in the UK are paid about half what their American counterparts make. According to Press Gazette, in 2021 "Future recorded one of the lowest median employee pay packages at £36,775, while also recording one of the highest chief executive pay packages in the country." Annual raises are not guaranteed for non-union members and certainly do not account for inflation. There are no performance reviews, so it can be difficult to make the case for a raise or promotion.

Future Response

Hi there, Thanks very much for your detailed review, and we're sorry to hear that your area feels under-staffed. We know that publications shift towards a more digital-focused mindset the amount of content tends to increase, but we believe that that should never be at the expense of quality. We truly believe in providing the best quality content and information to our audiences and that's why we spend time and investment in recruiting the best journalists around. Whilst our business can feel 'round-the-clock' due to the international locations we inhabit, we feel deeply that employees feeling tired should take a break, which is why the unlimited paid holiday policy is so important to us. If you are concerned about the quality of editorial production or wellbeing of colleagues in your area please do contact us directly at ThePeopleTeam@futurenet.com and we can continue to explore the challenges in your part of the business. In case it helps to clarify the process on pay-rises all colleagues have received an annual pay rise over the past few years which on average has been in-line with inflation. 'Exceptional' pay rises are provided on a monthly basis to colleagues where it is deserved to reflect progression on an individual level. If you believe you should be considered for an individual pay rise and would like to expand the discussion beyond your direct line manager please contact us in the People team at ThePeopleTeam@futurenet.com and we can help to support the discussion.

Understaffed, overworked and burned out - Editor Future Employee Review

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