Engineering Manager • Former Employee
Pros: Most organizations do, and actually practice the work/life balance the company values.
In organizations where there is more management diversity, career growth does seem to flourish.
In general, everybody in product, design, and engineering is very nice and welcoming.
Everyone is a true fan and user of the products, so it feels good to work with people like that.
Cons: Yelp states it prides itself on its culture, but certain organizations (NOT ALL, but a considerable percentage) have very insular cultures in which a small, but significant amount of subtle bullying of those that do not conform seems to happen. It can make "outsiders" feel they have to inauthentically assimilate to their culture. The overwhelming "promote from within" attitude leads to more of this, especially given so many managers are figuring it out for the first time rather than bringing valuable diverse industry experience.
While Yelp values work-life balance, certain organizations' cultures also have a lack of focus on having good operational processes, and a lack of rigor and seriousness for building things with quality engineering. It can end up seeming more a place to go and have fun with other adult engineers (overheard derisively as "an adult daycare") versus a place to go and build great things and grow in your career.