Internal view is very different from external reputation - Human Resources Gaiam Employee Review

Very casual and great culture.

It would have been nice to have work from home flexibility.

Great benefits, cafeteria on site, gym on site.

Among many of the issues within Gaiam, the most obvious is how all of VP's are friends of the CEO and/or founder. The people making crucial business decisions are from the Catalog era during a time when Gaiam is trying to move into becoming a true e-commerce business. As a result, I don't see Gaiam making the necessary strides to compete with Lululemon, Prana, Athleta and the like. These people are outdated and out of touch, however they will remain in their powerful and high paying positions until a new CEO takes place and nepotism ceases to exist. The other major issue with Gaiam is the lack of internal communication. The company has almost no communication within its various divisions and therefore fosters an environment of "me first, company second" attitude. There are 2-3 major layoffs per year which occur like clockwork. These layoffs causes people to become more concerned about their personal performance rather than the overall performance of the company. Lastly, I would say that there is almost no "career" opportunities within Gaiam. This is once again due to the nepotism within upper level management. Certain people/positions will never be vacant as these people have personal relationships with the CEO while other positions have been a revolving door due to their lack of a personal relationship. I would not recommend Gaiam.