CLIMEWORKS 

AG

Bewertungen

Gut am Arbeitgeber finde ich

The vision, the dream, the goal

Schlecht am Arbeitgeber finde ich

A strange culture of excessive talk and self‑promotion.

Verbesserungsvorschläge

With responsibilities should also come a certain level of authority, so that decisions can be made more quickly. Not every topic needs to be discussed and presented to everyone. Honestly, if you can’t finish your work, report, or experiment because you have too many meetings, there is a structural problem in the company.

Arbeitsatmosphäre

Took a hard hit after the mass layoffs and it really depends on the team.

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A couple of years ago, the company had a good image, and there were definitely reasons for that. The goal and vision are still the same, or at least very similar to what they used to be, but the glory start‑up period is over. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but the transition has been rough.

Work-Life-Balance

Mixed, depends on the team/responsibilities.

Karriere/Weiterbildung

Gehalt/Benefits

Was alright

Umwelt-/Sozialbewusstsein

Still a long road to go...

Kollegenzusammenhalt

To be fair, the company is filled with amazing people who, in most cases, genuinely try to help each other. Many joined for the vision and the technology, which definitely has potential. But due to the management style of certain individuals, it can get tough.

Umgang mit älteren Kollegen

Better ask them… oh wait ... they’re all gone.

Vorgesetztenverhalten

Middle management (and above) is often clueless and inexperienced, filling people’s calendars with useless meetings and then wondering why a good‑looking PowerPoint presentation doesn’t solve the actual problem. Power struggles are happening constantly, and far too many projects are running in parallel. It’s all about being seen by the higher‑ups and hiding the real issues.

Arbeitsbedingungen

Could be better, luckly there is home office

Kommunikation

Horrible, you don’t know what’s going on until it’s too late. Hard topics and serious issues are hidden or actively suppressed.

Gleichberechtigung

HR claims to be progressive, but behind closed doors they engage in some questionable practices.

Interessante Aufgaben

The technology has potential, but there are still many problems to solve. The tasks can be very interesting. However, there is often a lack of understanding of the necessary groundwork and the need for clearly defined work processes. Ten people sit in a meeting room discussing what needs to be done, but then there aren’t enough resources to actually carry out the work.

Gut am Arbeitgeber finde ich

Sehr gut darin, das Blaue vom Himmel zu versprechen.

Schlecht am Arbeitgeber finde ich

Die Heuchelei, die generelle besser-als-du Kultur und die absolute Planlosigkeit.

Verbesserungsvorschläge

Der Realität ins Auge sehen.

Arbeitsatmosphäre

Leuten wird regelmässig in den Rücken gefallen, es wird getuschelt und Leute die etwas dagegen gesagt haben wurden entlassen.

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Der Ruf ist bereits sehr angeschlagen.

Work-Life-Balance

Keine. Es wird so getan als ob es wichtig wäre, aber es muss immer gesputet werden. Leute mit Familien oder die sonst nicht 150% leisten können kommen als erstes unter die Räder.

Karriere/Weiterbildung

Gehalt/Benefits

Völlig überbezahlte Leute.

Umwelt-/Sozialbewusstsein

Die grösste Heuchelei dieser Firma.

Kollegenzusammenhalt

Es wird so getan als ob, aber in Wirklichkeit gibt es fast keinerlei Loyalität.

Umgang mit älteren Kollegen

Ältere Leute scheinen bevorzugt entlassen worden zu sein bei der letzten Entlassungswelle. Die meisten Mitarbeiter sind unter 30.

Vorgesetztenverhalten

Unprofessionell und jegliche Verantwortung abweisend.

Arbeitsbedingungen

Schlechter Kaffee, sinnlose Projektmanagement- und ERP systeme, extrem paranoide und eingeschränkte IT Systeme.

Kommunikation

Es wurde immer kommuniziert wie toll alles ist. Bis es nicht mehr toll war.

Gleichberechtigung

Schwer zu beurteilen, aber die Firma ist wie viele schweizer Firmen ausgesprochen Weiss und Männlich.

Interessante Aufgaben

Arbeit wird als Bahnbrechend angeworben, ist aber monoton und regelmässig vollkommen sinnbefreit, da oftmals eine klare Richtung fehlt und sehr gerne das Rad neu erfunden wird.

Gut am Arbeitgeber finde ich

There is a vision and room to actually do things.
Remote work is good possible in any office roles.

Schlecht am Arbeitgeber finde ich

The senior management seem to act clueless and does not clearly admit the situation the company is in.
Obvious bad performance of certain "favorite colleagues" remains unsanctioned (e.g. a stock keeper that can do home-office), even being highlighted by various people.

Verbesserungsvorschläge

Get a new and experienced senior management. From C level to Vice Presidents.
Listen to the experienced staff that was hired approx 1-2 years back and act accordingly. Immediately and not as usual after 9 painful months of trying different.

Arbeitsatmosphäre

I feel resignation in every corner.

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Used to be 5+ starts a few years back. I feel it to be in a free fall. The public picture may still profit from the past. Plus the communication team does steer public presence very strong.

Work-Life-Balance

Short paced ideas and its changes from senior management is law and require more than full capacity to make it happen.

Karriere/Weiterbildung

Gehalt/Benefits

Fair pay, good pension funds.

Umwelt-/Sozialbewusstsein

Could be better. For example one buys a lot of materials that are not checked for reliability. The technical setbacks create then quite some material in stock that is mostly obsolete, but efforts to build and transport it were done with the relevant impact to the environment.
Some executives commute by plane, which is even for a non-greentech company a bad thing.

Kollegenzusammenhalt

The teams collaborate well and people look after each other.

Umgang mit älteren Kollegen

Most elderly colleagues were affected from recent layoff.

Vorgesetztenverhalten

The higher up in the org chart to worse it gets.

Arbeitsbedingungen

Very large open space office with relevant noise level.
Equipment and tools are adequate.

Kommunikation

There are regular internal updates, however what and how its communicated is bend to what is should be instead of an actual reflection.

Gleichberechtigung

I see equal chances, however since women are rare in technical disciplines the ratio in the office is reflecting this.

Interessante Aufgaben

Fix the problems by any mean. Technically interesting but actually a mission impossible.

Gut am Arbeitgeber finde ich

The once established idea and purpose behind the company ne my team mates.

Schlecht am Arbeitgeber finde ich

Top managers and culture - everyone is frustrated and it gets worse by the day.

Verbesserungsvorschläge

Be honest, invest in technology, exchange Executives, outsource the non-DAC business.

Arbeitsatmosphäre

everyone I know is looking for a job outside. The last weeks people do not work anymore, everyone just waits for the next round of layoffs.

Image

If Climeworks has one benefit it is the image that it upholds… a lot of marketing money is invested into it. Fancy events with customers and on global platforms.

Work-Life-Balance

At the moment it is great since we are all in wait and see mode. But for many months it was awful, reducing people but expecting same outcome like before the mass redundancies. So fed up.

Karriere/Weiterbildung

Gehalt/Benefits

Salaries are market oriented and great pension fund. But shares are worth not even the paper they would be printed on one day.

Umwelt-/Sozialbewusstsein

our commercial team flies everywhere so does our CEO.

Kollegenzusammenhalt

If it was not for our nice colleagues many more would have left already. But in lunch or breaks we all discuss how fed up we are.

Umgang mit älteren Kollegen

Age? There are no old people.

Vorgesetztenverhalten

The executive board shapes the culture and it gets worse by the day. The decent people left, managers staying are inexperienced.

Arbeitsbedingungen

Complete drain of once great culture. Remote work is being checked, no trust.

Kommunikation

CEOs’ either refuse to face reality or lie to themself. The communication in internal web is dishonest and our line managers do not communicate at all. Everyone is in waiting mode.

Gleichberechtigung

Especially women quit.

Interessante Aufgaben

Yes it could be great on paper if there was hope, but even with the last financing round nobody believes in it anymore. We see the numbers and it is a matter of time.

Verbesserungsvorschläge

The company would benefit from rebuilding a stronger culture of inclusion, fairness, and recognition, so that contributions beyond “loud voices” are valued. Communication should become more transparent and open to feedback, with decisions explained rather than only delivered top-down. Collaboration also needs strengthening, as the current environment encourages territorial behavior instead of teamwork. Leadership accountability and fairness are key, with less favoritism and more support for teams. Finally, more concrete support for employee well-being, meaningful benefits, and career development would help restore trust and engagement.

Arbeitsatmosphäre

The sense of culture and purpose that once made this a strong place to work has largely disappeared. Diversity and equality are lacking, and recognition tends to go to those who speak the loudest rather than those putting in the real effort.

Image

The external reputation remains strong, which benefits the broader cause, but this should be matched with genuine care for employees.

Work-Life-Balance

This varies depending on the team. In some areas it may be manageable, but the absence of meaningful benefits and the overall culture makes it difficult to recharge. While extremely long hours aren’t expected, the emotional drain often makes it hard to fully disconnect.

Karriere/Weiterbildung

Gehalt/Benefits

Base salaries are reasonable. Bonus scheme is not.

Umwelt-/Sozialbewusstsein

Surprisingly limited for a climate-focused company. Expectations in this area are higher than what is being delivered.

Kollegenzusammenhalt

Collaboration has declined noticeably. There is more back-channel talk, territorial behavior around work, and finger-pointing instead of teamwork.

Umgang mit älteren Kollegen

One extra holiday week is granted for staff over 55.

Vorgesetztenverhalten

Strong leaders who embodied good values have largely moved on. Leadership now often feels self-serving, with favoritism and even gossip among managers undermining trust.

Arbeitsbedingungen

As mentioned above, the negative aspects of culture affect the overall conditions.

Kommunikation

Internal communication is weak, non-transparent, and not open to feedback. Most decisions are delivered top-down, and those who raise concerns risk being pushed out.

Gleichberechtigung

Favoritism is evident, and only certain personalities seem to advance.

Interessante Aufgaben

The company’s mission remains important and could be very engaging, but the current environment overshadows the challenge and makes the work feel less meaningful.

Schlecht am Arbeitgeber finde ich

Regarding promotions, they avoid giving it to you with randomly picked, inconsequentual examples like not directly booking a meeting with a colleague about a topic and instead asking first when they have time to discuss (also to find out if they are the person to talk to).

Even though exact criteria are available for promotions, which you can all exceed and still not get promoted because they want to save money. In particular, the jump from "base" career level to "advanced" substantially increased salary - (and doubles equity).

In the lower career levels, coworkers without work experience start with "base" level and would then be promoted to "advanced" level after they fulfill the criteria for the next level, including 2 full years at "base" (time spent at a level is only a recommendation, as we'll find out further down). Even if you have been working on the "advanced" level during those 2 full years whilst getting the "base" salary, they will only promote you after the 2 years are done AND you fulfill the criteria.

This significantly takes away from enthusiasm, as great work is not rewarded, you have a set timeline where you get a promotion.

This can however be completely ignored - One coworker reached "advanced" after the 2 years of delivering great work at "base". Normally, it would then take another 3 years to get to the next level "senior" - Which was given to this individual 0.5 years after being promoted to "advanced" level. Others in the company delivering great work had to wait the 3 normal years.

That's 2.5 years difference, which is completely unacceptable.

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Great marketing to the outside, internally failing miserably to achieve set goals by the DAC plants.

Karriere/Weiterbildung

Gehalt/Benefits

Salaries are good by industry standards. Don't expect to get a career level increase (and thereby salary increase) before you have sat at your current level for the time allocated by the internal system, regardless of how great your work is.

Kollegenzusammenhalt

Great colleagues and team atmosphere

Vorgesetztenverhalten

Polite, fair leaders except when it comes to promotions - See what to improve below.

Gut am Arbeitgeber finde ich

A talented and motivated workforce, meaningful opportunities for skill development, and a mission that inspires many.

Schlecht am Arbeitgeber finde ich

Leadership deficiencies, poor treatment of women and senior employees, inconsistent management practices, low salaries, over-hyped communication, and a high rate of strategic and operational instability.

Verbesserungsvorschläge

Leadership must become more experienced and transparent, fostering genuine trust and inclusivity. Communication should be honest and realistic. The company should build a stable strategy, improve compensation, and genuinely embrace diversity.

Arbeitsatmosphäre

The working environment was challenging due to inconsistent leadership and a lack of trust. Employees often felt micromanaged or left unsupported depending on their line management, creating a fragmented experience.

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Despite heavy investment and a strong external reputation as an inclusive, innovative employer, internal realities painted a much more troubled picture.

Work-Life-Balance

Senior management failed to lead by example regarding office presence and travel, contributing to inconsistent expectations and a lack of genuine support for work-life balance. However overtime, working during vacation is expected unless an individual puts a hard stop, which than is usually accepted.

Karriere/Weiterbildung

Gehalt/Benefits

Compensation was regularly below market standard, and the share option schemes promoted during recruitment were over-sold and did not deliver anticipated value.

Umwelt-/Sozialbewusstsein

No significant information or emphasis was apparent during my time regarding environmental or social responsibility initiatives which is sadly inconsistent with the companies vision.

Kollegenzusammenhalt

Colleagues were highly intelligent, extremly talented and motivated professionals united by a shared mission; however, organisational shortcomings often left these aspirations unfulfilled.

Umgang mit älteren Kollegen

Senior staff were frequently undervalued and sidelined, facing poor treatment similar to that experienced by female colleagues, which undermined morale and retention.

Vorgesetztenverhalten

Line managers' behaviour varied widely, with some micromanaging closely while others provided little guidance. Overall, the environment often reflected the poor example set by absent or self-focused senior leadership.

Arbeitsbedingungen

Very old building, recently changed. Rather silly decsions on small benefits such as fruit and coffee.

Kommunikation

Communication from senior leadership was characterised by persistent over-promising and overselling, leading to a significant disconnect between corporate messaging and the reality experienced by staff.

Gleichberechtigung

While the company officially promoted inclusivity, female employees and senior staff were often treated poorly, indicating a meaningful gap between stated values and actual practice.

Interessante Aufgaben

Many employees, including myself, had the opportunity to work on meaningful tasks and projects, with most given chances to develop skills and grow, albeit within a turbulent organisational context.

Verbesserungsvorschläge

If Climeworks truly wants to lead in the climate tech space, it must start by leading ethically and authentically. That means aligning internal culture with external messaging, rewarding merit over popularity, listening to and protecting its people. Otherwise, no amount of branding can cover up the growing disillusionment inside.

Arbeitsatmosphäre

The 2 dismissals that happened in the last 9 months, deeply shook the organisation and left a dent in the atmosphere of the company. The last mass dismissal was especially tough: a quarter of the workforce was let go due to financial instability and poor strategic decisions. The current work environment is tense, confusing and demotivating.

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Any positive post on LinkedIn or any inspiring article is simply the hard work of the Communication team. The more you see internally, the more you realise it's all smoke and mirrors.

Umwelt-/Sozialbewusstsein

There is a strong disconnect between what Climeworks says and what it does. While it preaches sustainability, the leadership team frequently disregards basic environmental principles (e.g., unnecessary long-haul flights, visible misuse of materials on-site in Iceland, recurring fancy leadership offsites while employees are being affected by a mass layoff due to insufficient budget).
Also, elitist managerial behavior is alive and well at Climeworks! Seeing top leadership (like the CHRO) arriving to work daily in a Maserati, is a striking contrast to the values the company claims to uphold.

Karriere/Weiterbildung

Kollegenzusammenhalt

Less and less team-work, and more "everyone for themselves". There are still some really smart, kind and honest people around. Not for long though, if the company keeps mistreating its hardworking people.

Vorgesetztenverhalten

It seems like leadership is improvising more than it is taking smart decisions. This in itself would not be such a problem, but the lack of accountability and no willingness to own up to missteps is demoralizing. The result is a chaotic work culture where talented people feel manipulated or used.
Psychological safety is lacking, and there is a strong fear of retaliation when offering feedback.

Kommunikation

There's a continuous lack of clarity, transparency and in general, lack of common sense in how things are being handled or communicated.
What could be an opportunity for honest course-correction is instead masked by shifting narratives and changing the storyline to benefit the leadership.

Gleichberechtigung

Empty DEI promises. Despite public-facing statements about diversity and inclusion, there is no real follow-through. Internally, these values are not upheld, and the lack of accountability is honestly shocking.
I often witnessed and experienced behavior that could be described as homophobic, sexist, ageist, and discriminatory. What's most painful is that this sort of behaviour comes mainly from leadership members who should be role models and who set the tone of the company culture...

Gut am Arbeitgeber finde ich

Work colleagues.

Schlecht am Arbeitgeber finde ich

New tasks and new deadlines occur regularly, no time to finish the previous task completely. Ideas are not taken on board or shared from line manager.

Verbesserungsvorschläge

Find their purpose again and make it work.

Arbeitsatmosphäre

Changed over the past two years, no atmosphere, no social events

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Loosing their purpose.

Work-Life-Balance

Many meetings out of hours and at lunch time, its an expectation rather than once in a while.
Home office days reduced.
No more fruit, no more yoga, milk charged for from coffee machine.

Karriere/Weiterbildung

Gehalt/Benefits

Average and benefits being cut due to costs.

Umwelt-/Sozialbewusstsein

Low social awareness.

Kollegenzusammenhalt

Depends who and how your connected, sometimes it works, silos still exist, lack of cross functional teamwork between departments.

Umgang mit älteren Kollegen

Not many, very young organization

Vorgesetztenverhalten

Micro management is the norm.

Arbeitsbedingungen

Old offices, open plan offices across most areas, no privacy, better to be in home office to focus, when it's required.

Kommunikation

Very poor, values are not lived, hide behind positive news.

Gleichberechtigung

DEI, its just on paper, not lived or practiced.

Interessante Aufgaben

Can be, but these change quickly based on the current theme or leadership pushing on time lines and getting tasks done quickly.

Gut am Arbeitgeber finde ich

You can have a good time while you are working there. Lot's of nice, interesting people there to socialize with.

Schlecht am Arbeitgeber finde ich

It is run quite bad, it's moving left and right (but hardly forward), and it's kind of trying to find out what the company should be doing in the future.

If you are a manger, are working in marketing, or worked for another "cool" company, then Climeworks is a place to collect another "important" job title. If you are a specialist, and really like to get things done, then this is the wrong place, because then you have to work for those job-title and company-name hunters.

Verbesserungsvorschläge

Go through the Org-Chart. Clean it up. Simplify the structures.
Make sure, the managers are doing their job well. Listen to the workers.
Learn how to run a company, learn from the mistakes!!!

Arbeitsatmosphäre

It has been better. There several problems brewing.

Image

So far, very well. The company spends a lot of resources to present itself and stay in the news.

Work-Life-Balance

You are expected to work more than the 42 hours. Reward is limited.

Karriere/Weiterbildung

Gehalt/Benefits

If you can sell yourself well, than you will get a good salary.

Umwelt-/Sozialbewusstsein

It is not bad, but I would expect more from a company like Climeworks

Kollegenzusammenhalt

Mostly good within the teams, sometimes also between members of different teams. But the company is fragmented. You will find friends.

Umgang mit älteren Kollegen

The dividing line is not between young and old, but between managers and specialists

Vorgesetztenverhalten

Surely depends on the team you are in. The company grew fast, and many leader positions are occupied by people, not suited for the position. There is no company culture on leadership, every leader does, what he did in his old job.

Arbeitsbedingungen

Old building, but will move in the future. Office furniture is okay. Shared desks. IT is very helpfull; tools are a bit chaotic.

Kommunikation

Communication is good, but the whole company lives in a bubble. Critical questions to the leadership are pushed aside.

Gleichberechtigung

DEI is a big topic at Climeworks, and they put some effort into it

Interessante Aufgaben

There would be many interesting tasks, and problems to solve. But the company is disorganized, and you will spend more time on fighting to be able to work on those problems, then actually working on these problems