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Ethical Tea Partnership

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Unethical and toxic organisation. Worst organisation I have worked for. - Anonymous employee Ethical Tea Partnership Employee Review

1.0
8 June 2024
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The majority of the team are highly experienced and great to work with. On paper, ETP's mission is commendable

Cons

The culture, which is cultivated by the top management, is highly toxic and has created a very unpleasant working environment. There is no trust in the team with a 'he said she said' environment where people are constantly talked about with their peers and colleagues, creating a culture of fear. There is targeted bullying and harassment from the top management, which is discriminatory and has led to a high staff turnover. The staff leaving the organisation often undergo an exit interview. However, this seems to be just an HR exercise as the issues raised are not raised or addressed properly. Hence the toxic culture and fear within the organisation continues to worsen with some of other members of the SMT mimicking the same practices. As the problem is the top management, there is no accountability or avenue for redress. The lack of integrity and accountability within the organisation was a very stressful environment to be in. At times, it felt like ETP was not practicing what it was meant to be tackling in the sector.

Explore other reviews about Ethical Tea Partnership

1.0
6 Jan 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great teams in countries of operation.

Cons

Leadership went from bad to worst with very little expertise or understanding of the tea sector, very little consideration for staff wellbeing or employment rights, and a vision of international development stuck in the 90s. The current work done struggles to demonstrate value to members.

3.0
8 July 2024
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

At the time I was working at ETP, there was a team of smart, experienced, motivated staff, who felt very valued and part of a supportive community. The work was impactful, a small team was very effective and able to use resources from public and private partners in a very efficient way. Partners enjoyed working with us for this. •The ED and senior leadership (at the time) trusted the employees and gave opportunities to people from all seniority and geographies to share their thoughts and ideas.

Cons

Sadly, by the time I left, the work culture had soured somewhat. New leadership created an environment where long-term international contractors feared their job security and were untrusted. It felt like new leadership favorised staff members they had hired personally, and eventually almost all staff previous to the new ED joining, were pushed to resign either directly or indirectly. There was a common sentiment that the new leadership had little care for the people of the organisation. Some staff members felt gas-lighted and the ED would talk about staff members to other staff members as well as external stakeholders. This was very embarrassing to witness and ultimately damaging to the reputation and sense of unity of the organisation. It feels like the organisation lost its values. With staff well-being - especially of those based outside UK- not being considered important. It was such a shame to witness as it was so great before.

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