Terrible leadership, expat experience was horrific — AVOID! - Footwear Product Creation On Employee Review

1.0
29 Jan 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Passionate teammates who are dedicated and genuinely want to do great work.

Cons

Leadership is poor, reactive, and operates in a male‑dominated "boys' club" (only two women in the C‑suite). Blatant nepotism and favoritism: early hires fast‑tracked into leadership despite lacking industry or people-management experience; outsiders with experience are treated as threats to these insecure and inexperienced managers. Micromanaging is rampant with managers who say "yes" to Executive Leadership with little regard for downstream capacity. Frequent priority shifts with little context; work is overwhelmingly reactive, preventing foundational work. Burnout is commonplace and routinely dismissed by leadership as an expected outcome of the company's fast growth. Leadership unrealistic commitment to a "premium" image without grounding decisions in the company's real capabilities; senior leaders avoid saying "no" and instead tell teams to figure out how to make it happen rather than honestly communicating constraints. Product is mediocre and priced exceptionally high while manufacturing and quality consistently fails to meet stated expectations. Relocation was the biggest issue from the start: lump‑sum relocation was taxed, packages are inconsistent across hires and poorly explained, support is ad hoc, denied reimbursement of minimal bureaucratic fees such as work permits. Employees are expected to navigate complex immigration, tax, and educational structures with limited information and support. HR is often unable to answer basic expatriate questions. High turnover and colleagues leaving abruptly (managed out, burnout, or resignation) create pervasive insecurity around role stability and team reliability. Leadership routinely prefers turnover rather than address their own insecurities and shortcomings with manipulation and gas lighting as common leadership techniques. Many employees are young with little outside experience and don't realize the impact of this toxic leadership. Unprecedented levels of office politics in my experience. If I could give negative stars in this review I would!

Explore other reviews about On

5.0
27 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great company to work for!

Cons

still new to retail space, so some processes have not yet been established

4.0
28 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Pros: Highly collaborative work environment with genuinely high-quality people who care deeply about one another and the work they’re doing. The company culture is strong, and there’s a real sense of shared passion and momentum. It’s a very fast-paced, quickly evolving environment with lots of opportunities to take ownership and be involved in exciting projects and events. Great exposure to travel and onsite experiences, especially within marketing/community roles. Despite the pace, work/life balance is surprisingly strong and leadership generally trusts employees to own their workstreams individually.

Cons

As the company continues to grow rapidly, there can sometimes be a lack of clarity around direction, priorities, and ownership. There are often many stakeholders involved in decision-making, which can create overlapping feedback or competing priorities. Depending on the team, management structures can feel somewhat light, requiring employees to be highly self-directed and comfortable operating with ambiguity.

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