Is this real life ? Is this just fantasy ?
Schlecht am Arbeitgeber finde ich
Toxic management, unbearable workload, no vision, no honesty, no humanism.
Arbeitsatmosphäre
The work atmosphere between colleagues is generally very good because the team cohesion is very strong. The employees are very supportive and helpful. Unfortunately, the home-office, as well as the bad management of the company, is eroding this atmosphere day by day. The +30 resignations that took place in 2021 did not help, of course. We'll come back to this below.
Kommunikation
Communication in startups is always more or less chaotic because the processes are not always in place - but as long as there is good faith, it is bearable. Now that the company has been bought by Gala Group, communication is obscure if not completely non-existent. Lies, manipulation and omission are now the keywords of management. About the loads of resignations, nothing has been said ever to make remaining employees feel better. Nothing is ever said if it is about admitting something is wrong anyway. A great example is also the monthly « anonymous questions » that are never answered if they are a bit uncomfortable.
Kollegenzusammenhalt
As described above, the cohesion of the employees is incredible, at least it was when I was still working in the team. The employees protect each other as best they can and go out of their way to do their jobs as best they can, despite the difficulties that the management imposes every week thinking they know how to run the company. Without the cohesion of the team, the company would not be in business for some time, unfortunately the management does not seem to realize this.
Work-Life-Balance
Don't you dare pretend you need time off if you want to be valued in this company. It's about #passion isn't it?
The workload is constantly far too high for the number of employees. This results in a lot of overtime (unpaid of course), and also a lot of colleagues on sick leave because they can't stand the pressure anymore.
The answer of the management to this: you should not do overtime (wtf), you should have said earlier that you had too much work (wtf bis), and other non-constructive answers. It almost seemed unacceptable to see several employees sick at the same time, as if the company was facing a vast conspiracy, despite the dozens of emails and discussions that took place before reaching such consequences. In short, employee mental health will never be a priority.
Vorgesetztenverhalten
The top management has changed 3 times in 2 years. The result is a constant instability of vision and purpose. The management is now just stating its holy word without consideration for the employees. The pressure from the parent company, Gala Group, does not help the company's management to make decisions that are in the best interest of the employees. The management is inhuman and without empathy, I would even say partially in an ego-trip that will eventually destroy the company. Some people would rather see this company go down than question themselves.
Interessante Aufgaben
The huge workload brings its own set of interesting projects. It would be preferable to have more time to complete the many tasks, but working in a growing company is of course very formative, especially for young graduates.
Gleichberechtigung
There was a time when the company had a horizontal hierarchy, or almost, and the teams were composed mostly of women, where everyone could express his or her opinion in a listening and benevolent way. Now that the company has grown, the positions of responsibility are mostly occupied by men - but that is not the majority of the problem in my opinion. The treatment of "small employees", i.e. low skilled jobs, is pathetic. These employees are not considered at all, they are poorly paid, not listened to, as if they are half human and half robot. I come back to the management that thinks it knows everything about everything, despite all the red signals. It's a real shame. They don't deserve half the employees who work here in a remarkable way.
Arbeitsbedingungen
The working conditions are horrible. Huge workload, no recognition, widespread stress, all in a company that has had over 30 resignations since the beginning of 2021 but still takes no action to take care of the employees who are still there. Nothing has been put in place to improve the working conditions in the home office, it's almost like we're being called lazy if we don't want to go back to the office (hello, the Covid is still very present), in short, the environment is T O X I C as hell. I have seen quite a lot of companies in my life, and never have I seen such a mess. Catastrophic.
Umwelt-/Sozialbewusstsein
Except if it represents a sales argument, the company does not care about social and environmental issues.
Gehalt/Sozialleistungen
There is no transparency on salaries and not all employees are on the same level. Salary negotiation is an extremely painful process in which you will be reminded that no one is irreplaceable and that you should not be too capricious, despite all the elements I described earlier regarding the responsibilities and the workload you have to bear throughout the year. But after all, money doesn't make happiness, does it?
Image
The employees do not hide their dissatisfaction when they talk among themselves. Rumors are the result of poor communication, which is basic management knowledge.
Karriere/Weiterbildung
Almost no training except in exceptional cases.
A few years ago, employees could develop a lot, but this is no longer the case, especially if they are not German.