A place to grow fast, learn deeply, collaborate with smart people and still enjoy the ride.
Gut am Arbeitgeber finde ich
Strong culture, great people, open communication, meaningful work and many opportunities for career growth and learning.
Schlecht am Arbeitgeber finde ich
Fast pace, constant change, and reorganizations - not for everyone, but understandable for a company that has grown so quickly in employees, locations, processes and customers.
Verbesserungsvorschläge
I left Personio before the recent layoffs but still follow the company and many of the people there closely. I truly feel for everyone who had to leave! It’s never easy, especially in a place that means so much to its people.
With all the recent discussions around the reorganization and layoffs, I just wanted to share my own perspective. My experience at Personio was, for the most part, very positive - of course with the normal ups and downs that come with a fast-growing company.
Arbeitsatmosphäre
The culture is demanding but fair. High expectations combined with trust and a lot of freedom. Feedback is part of everyday work, and if you see something that needs improvement, you’re encouraged to speak up and help drive change.
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Strong employer brand and well-known training ground for talent. The CEO is one of the most visible scale-up founders in Germany — active in political and environmental initiatives and frequently featured in podcasts and the press.
Personio has become the brand for HR teams and professionals in Germany.
Work-Life-Balance
The workload can be intense, especially at the end of the month or quarter or during big projects and reorganizations.
Karriere/Weiterbildung
In my case, I had many opportunities over almost seven years to learn, grow, and shape my roles. During that time, I moved across several teams in both individual contributor and leadership positions, which helped me build a broad skill set. New roles and promotions aren’t simply handed out — showing initiative and taking ownership are recognized and rewarded.
One downside in more recent years was that the personal development budget was reduced, which limited formal learning opportunities somewhat.
Gehalt/Benefits
Pay and benefits are competitive, with solid equity options and many small perks (e.g., JobRad, Wellpass). There are also many things you only realize you miss after leaving - great offices, food and drinks, supportive colleagues and a genuine sense of shared purpose.
Umwelt-/Sozialbewusstsein
The founders are also active through the Personio Foundation, the company’s non-profit entity. It’s not just a side project, but it reflects the same sense of purpose and impact that shows up in the business. Seeing this commitment from the top made a real difference for me.
That said, there could be even more focus on applying environmental improvements in daily office life (e.g., automatic deactivation of screens after a certain time).
Kollegenzusammenhalt
Personio is full of smart, driven, diligent and kind people who genuinely care about doing things right. I always enjoyed working with my team, managers and internal stakeholders.
In times of high pressure, there was occasionally a tendency for some individuals to focus more on achieving their own goals rather than keeping the bigger picture or cross-team impact in mind.
Umgang mit älteren Kollegen
Older colleagues are treated the same way as younger ones. Due to the nature of a scale-up environment, the number of younger employees is significantly higher than older ones.
Vorgesetztenverhalten
Senior leadership and the remaining founders are thoughtful and self-critical. The founders stay closely involved, which helps keep the original values alive. I experienced several all-hands meetings where they shared honest, self-reflective feedback, as well as open “Ask Me Anything” sessions where every question could be asked and was answered by the executive team or even by investors.
My direct managers were mostly supportive while maintaining high ambitions. In some situations, a bit more proactive focus on professional development and time for personal relationship building would have been valuable.
Arbeitsbedingungen
Really nice offices with free coffee, drinks and cereals. There are great spaces to collaborate, quiet areas for focused work and plenty of meeting rooms and phone booths. Adjustable-height desks would be a great addition.
Kommunikation
Not every decision will please everyone, but communication is generally transparent and the “why” is explained. Decisions are shared as soon as possible, and business metrics, challenges and priorities (company strategy + OKRs) are regularly communicated to the whole company.
At times, more context around specific product strategies or investment decisions would have helped people better understand the bigger picture.
Gleichberechtigung
Inclusive and respectful environment. Everyone’s opinion is heard, regardless of title or background. I have never experienced any negative treatment based on sexual orientation, culture or anything else.
Interessante Aufgaben
If you take initiative, show ambition and actively look for new projects or internal role changes, there are plenty of opportunities to work on interesting and meaningful topics. I’ve seen many colleagues take on diverse projects and even switch roles over time. The company gives room for that, but need to be proactive in seeking it out.
As the company has grown, roles have naturally become more specialized and focused. That can make the work feel less holistic at times, especially for people who thrive on variety and enjoy wearing different hats.