Leaving the sinking ship - Recommended to not start at this company!
Arbeitsatmosphäre
Statista’s workplace culture leaves much to be desired. Employee appreciation often feels superficial, exemplified by "pizza parties" as a token of gratitude. There is a pervasive mistrust between management and employees, creating a tense and toxic work environment. Hardworking employees are "rewarded" with more tasks instead of meaningful recognition, with no budget allocated for professional development (e.g., external courses) and salary grids that fall far below market value. Office politics often take precedence over actual productivity, and unprofessional behavior from management, such as openly trashing about (current & former) employees, is disturbingly normalized.
Kommunikation
Management at Statista suffers from a lack of clear communication and vision, leaving employees uncertain about the company's direction. The excom seems primarily focused on making Statista lean and cost-efficient, seemingly with the goal of preparing it for a quick sale by the parent holding company. This short-term mindset leads to frequent and inconsistent strategy & tool changes, rolled out every quarter, which further disrupts workflows and erodes employee confidence in leadership.
Work-Life-Balance
The only positive aspect of working at Statista is the work-life balance.
However, this exists largely because the company pays salaries significantly below the market average for all roles. As a result, lower management is reluctant to let employees go, knowing it would be nearly impossible to find replacements willing to work for such low compensation. This creates a work environment where minimal effort is the norm. Teams rarely put effort into optimizing processes, and over-performing is viewed as odd or unnecessary. In fact, employees who put in extra effort are often mocked by their peers for "working too much."
If you're looking for a laid-back job where expectations are low and the workload is light, Statista might be the perfect fit for you.
Vorgesetztenverhalten
Lower management at Statista is largely composed of unqualified individuals, a direct result of the company’s failure to hire the right candidates, provide external training and professional development opportunities. Promotions are often based on personal favoritism rather than actual performance or skills, perpetuating office politics and fostering resentment among employees. The environment is rife with gossip and trash-talking about colleagues, even from management, while superficial positivity is used as a shallow attempt to boost morale. A significant restructure in Q3 2024 has further eroded trust, with employees now harboring complete mistrust in leadership. Although management denies that additional restructures are on the horizon, employees are convinced that further changes are inevitable.
Interessante Aufgaben
For engaged and hardworking individuals, there is the potential to take on interesting tasks, even with minimal prior work experience. However, this comes with significant drawbacks. A large portion of the work I performed, during my time at Statista —an estimated 95%—ultimately felt pointless, as sudden changes in strategy or processes render much of it obsolete. Task allocation by lower management is seemingly random, with little consideration given to matching assignments with the actual skill sets of employees. This lack of structure and foresight not only wastes time but also undermines any sense of accomplishment or growth within the role.
Gleichberechtigung
One area where Statista excels is in its efforts toward Diversity & Inclusion. The company has established a dedicated working group that actively organizes various events and initiatives around this important topic. These efforts create opportunities for dialogue, awareness, and community-building among employees, showcasing a genuine commitment to fostering an inclusive workplace environment.
Umgang mit älteren Kollegen
Statista has a notable number of long-term employees, particularly in the Sales department, and this can be largely attributed to the company's impressive bonus structure. Sales employees, even those with limited experience, have been able to earn six-figure salaries annually. These "top performers" are treated like "queens" and "kings" by management, which only reinforces their sense of entitlement. As a result, many display arrogance and resistance to process changes, creating a toxic environment. They offer little to no support to newer employees, driven by the fear that their "pieces of the cake" will be taken by others. This leads to a culture of competition and elbowing.
Arbeitsbedingungen
The Hamburg office building, newly renovated in 2023, offers a prime location with plenty of lunch spots nearby, making it convenient for employees. The office is equipped with modern, up-to-standard technology, docking stations, and other essential tools. Social spaces and kitchens are well-appointed, with free coffee and a wide variety of non-alcoholic beverages available. The office follows a flexible seating plan, where employees need to book their workspace in advance. Additionally, multiple telephone booths are available on each floor, providing private spaces for calls and meetings.
Umwelt-/Sozialbewusstsein
Statista has an internal initiative driven by a group of sustainability-focused employees, aimed at promoting corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental practices. Unfortunately, this great initiative is not taken seriously by management or the company at large. There are no sustainability practices in place—evidenced by the fact that even basic tasks like waste separation are not being implemented by office management. The company lacks any CSR policies and, despite having over 1,500 employees, there is no designated CSR officer. Employees have dedicated their free time to propose various CSR improvements, yet the company continues to neglect these efforts, showing little to no interest in driving meaningful change.
Gehalt/Sozialleistungen
As previously mentioned, Statista offers salaries that are well below the market average. The company's business model for the Hamburg HQ seems to focus on hiring mostly non-European graduates, offering them very low salaries. These employees are then heavily exploited, with a constant cycle of hiring new batches of non-European graduates once the previous ones leave. This approach has been openly explained to me by multiple lower-level managers.
Due to the low compensation, many talented individuals don’t even consider Statista as a viable employer, and motivated employees often leave quickly to secure 20%-40% higher salaries at other companies.
However, Statista is currently making an effort to analyze their salary grids, which is a positive step. Hopefully, this will lead to a realization of the need to offer more competitive salaries to attract and retain talented and motivated employees.
Social benefits at Statista are somewhat decent, with discounts on various products (such as a 20% discount on gym memberships) and a reduced rate for the German Public Transport ticket (Deutschlandticket).
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The ongoing restructuring has led to a complete breakdown of trust in management and the company. Layoffs have become routine, and in recent weeks, increasing numbers of employees are choosing to resign on their own. Conversations among staff typically revolve around complaints about the inefficient management decisions, low salaries, and inadequate social benefits.
Karriere/Weiterbildung
Statista offers internal training on a variety of topics, from basic business administration to advanced Excel courses. While these programs can be seen as a "nice to have," they represent the bare minimum a company can do for career development. Statista does not provide personalized learning budgets, which would allow employees to choose courses that align with their individual interests and career goals. Additionally, there is no employee access to popular platforms like Udemy, Coursera, or LinkedIn Learning. The company appears to view career development as unimportant, likely due to the high employee turnover rate, which leads to the belief that investing in employee development is a waste of resources.