Job seekers can get a real look at life on the job with over 1 million ratings from real employees on the frontlines of America’s workforce
Inaugural report on workplace trends reveals rising frontline worker sentiment amid ongoing leadership disconnect
SANTA MONICA, Calif. – ZipRecruiter® (NYSE: ZIP), a leading online employment marketplace, today announced the U.S. launch of Breakroom, a workplace rating platform purpose-built for frontline industries like retail, hospitality, logistics, and more. With more than one million ratings and counting, Breakroom gives job seekers a clear look at what it’s really like to work for different employers—helping them make smarter decisions and find jobs that fit their lives.
Before most job seekers hit ‘apply,’ they’ve already formed an opinion about potential employers. 70% of frontline workers research companies first, and 84% say employee reviews influence whether they’ll apply. However, nearly half (40%) question the trustworthiness of those reviews.1
That uncertainty often leads to disappointment: only one in three frontline workers say their job very closely matched their expectations1, with misaligned expectations ranking among the top three reasons they quit within the first 90 days.2 Breakroom closes that gap by giving workers clear, reliable insights into the things that matter most: pay, schedules, team culture, work conditions, and more.
“Frontline jobs account for over 70% of jobs in America. Breakroom brings fresh data on what these jobs really demand—from customer interaction, to time on your feet, to how and when you’re paid,” said Ian Siegel, Co-founder & CEO of ZipRecruiter. “In the months ahead, we plan to integrate Breakroom’s insights directly into ZipRecruiter to help job seekers find the right jobs for them—and help employers hire candidates who are more likely to stay and succeed.”
Unlike traditional employer review sites, Breakroom doesn’t rely on open-ended reviews, which often skew negative or subjective. Instead, current employees anonymously answer a 30-question quiz, which generates an objective 1–10 rating of their employer. These worker experiences are then aggregated to give job seekers role- and location-specific insights, whether they’re considering a warehouse job in Dallas or a call center role in Detroit.
“A year after joining forces with ZipRecruiter, we’re bringing Breakroom to job seekers and employers across the U.S. as we seek to fundamentally how frontline workers find the right job for them. We’re creating a cycle of transparency – empowering workers to shape better workplaces, giving job seekers a real look at life on the job, and providing employers a window into how their workplaces are truly experienced,” added Anna Maybank, Founder & CEO of Breakroom.
As part of the launch, ZipRecruiter is introducing its inaugural Breakroom Workplace Index, a new research report tracking workplace trends across frontline industries. The report found that while worker sentiment is improving – driven by better access to paid leave, healthcare, and career development – a major gap remains: only 23% believe senior leadership understands their day-to-day reality. Likewise, wage growth has been largely flat, with a median wage of $20.00 per hour, though pay is rising in historically lower-wage cities as they compete for talent. When it comes to the workplace experience, 61% of frontline workers report having access to health insurance, 67% receive paid time off, and 51% have some choice in their shifts.
ZipRecruiter acquired UK-based workplace rating platform Breakroom in 2024. Since its launch in 2020, Breakroom has built a platform that resonates authentically with the rising digitally native workforce. Breakroom has operated, and we expect it to continue to operate, as an independent brand.
