Pros
Trauma bonding with your peers
Cons
My time at Oh Polly was regrettably characterised by a toxic and dysfunctional workplace environment, driven by poor leadership and a lack of clear direction or strategy. Leadership operates as a dictatorship, dismissing expertise and experience in favour of rigid control and micromanagement. Decisions are inconsistent, contradictory and reactionary; often appeared to be swayed by fleeting trends or whims rather than solid data or a cohesive vision and long-term planning. Such decisions are then poorly communicated down to relevant stakeholders and teams, yet they are expected to follow the vague directives to the letter. Failure to interpret these precisely, or any deviation (no matter how well intentioned or logical) often leads to public criticism and scorn which creates a culture of fear, blame and second-guessing. Gaslighting is also prevalent, where employees frequently have to defend themselves with “receipts” instead of focusing their time and resource on meaningful work. Full accountability for outcomes is readily imposed without granting the necessary control, support or tools to influence change, leaving success for a majority of roles in the business virtually impossible. For the same reason, HR offer no protection or refuge whatsoever, as they are equally powerless to address the systemic issues within the company or implement any positive improvement to the company culture. Ultimately this lack of support further fosters an isolating and hostile environment, leaving employees to fend for themselves in a culture devoid of trust, integrity or respect. Fundamentally the workplace was lonely, damaging, and unsustainable. A company that dismisses collaboration, refuses to trust its people, and lacks conviction in its own strategy is unlikely to succeed in its current iteration — not just in business terms but most importantly in retaining the incredibly talented, hardworking professionals it employs and relies on for growth.