Ambitious company with capable people, but micromanaging culture and constantly shifting priorities
Verbesserungsvorschläge
I would focus on giving more autonomy to team leads and specialists to reduce bottlenecks and improve execution speed. More stable prioritization would help reduce constant context switching and improve long-term planning. I would also improve how employee concerns around cost of living, commuting and flexibility are addressed, with clearer acknowledgment of the constraints many employees face and more transparent communication around decision-making.
Arbeitsatmosphäre
The atmosphere is shaped by constant urgency, shifting priorities and limited autonomy. Teams often need to pause or deprioritize ongoing work to react to new leadership focus areas, which creates instability in day-to-day execution and makes it difficult to work in a structured way. Strong performance is often treated as the expected baseline, while when expectations are not fully met, the response tends to focus heavily on scrutiny and pressure rather than on structured support or alignment on how to improve.
Image
Externally, the company presents a strong employer brand. Internally, I experienced a noticeable gap between this image and how certain processes and initiatives were actually lived. For example, employee surveys were presented as anonymous while still requesting information such as department and tenure, which can affect how free people feel to respond. I also experienced similar patterns in HR-led initiatives, for example during Black Friday when employees were required to come into the office on two consecutive Fridays and follow a specific dress code, even though these were normally remote workdays. In other cases, employees were encouraged to leave public reviews for physical stores, which felt more externally driven than naturally motivated.
Work-Life-Balance
While flexibility is formally part of the setup, expectations do not always reflect employees’ reality. When concerns were raised about commuting costs and rising gas prices, requests to temporarily reduce office attendance from three to two days per week were immediately rejected. Employees living outside Munich were referred to this as a personal decision, without sufficient consideration of housing and commuting constraints. I personally found the way this was communicated quite dismissive, especially given the context of rising living costs and how unavoidable these constraints are for many people.
Karriere/Weiterbildung
Most development happens through hands-on experience and exposure to different challenges. Structured development paths or formal career frameworks do not seem common.
Kollegenzusammenhalt
The strongest aspect of the company. There are many smart, talented and genuinely supportive colleagues, and collaboration across teams works well on a day-to-day level.
Vorgesetztenverhalten
Decision-making is highly centralized, with many approvals required at C-level.
Micromanagement is deeply embedded in the culture, as teams are frequently given execution tasks but limited autonomy in how they are carried out. In some cases, new issues or questions are introduced that appear to conflict with recently communicated priorities or strategy, which adds to a sense of lacking direction. Team leads and specialists are hired for their expertise, but often do not have sufficient decision-making authority within their own areas of responsibility.
Kommunikation
Communication is largely top-down. In “Ask us anything” sessions, I had the impression that questions were selectively addressed, with no visibility on which topics remained unanswered. Important decisions are often not explained through data, customer feedback or clear reasoning.
Gehalt/Benefits
Compensation is formally positioned as merit-based, however in practice salary increases are difficult to achieve even with strong performance. The criteria behind compensation decisions are not transparent, making it unclear how performance translates into actual salary progression.
Interessante Aufgaben
The company operates in a fast-paced environment with a wide range of responsibilities. Employees are exposed to many different projects, which creates strong learning opportunities.