Gaiam Reviews

2.9

36% would recommend to a friend

(62 total reviews)

Joseph Shamah

56% approve of CEO

24% positive business outlook

Gaiam has an employee rating of 2.9 out of 5 stars, based on 62 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Gaiam employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Retail and wholesale industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

62 reviews
1.0
15 Oct 2015

Entire Place is a Joke!

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good food in the cafe, free yoga classes (if you can attend without feeling guilty), massage/acupuncture/chiro covered by insurance

Cons

This place is an absolute soul suck. The bill of goods they sell in the interview does NOT align with the job(s) you end up doing. No clear direction for 30/60/90 day goals, very high employee turnover, no clear processes/policies/procedures in place for anything. Employees hired for their skills are not trusted to do their jobs, and upper management ends up blocking workflow because they want to approve every tiny little thing instead of delegating. There are employees who cry on their way into work, get reprimanded if they only work 8 hours per day, etc. Apparently leaving work on time is now an act of courage. Free yoga classes are great, but it's hard to attend with so much work piled on everyone's desk. Gaiam TV operates in the exact opposite way of what it is they are trying to sell - what an oxymoron! Company doesn't know who or what they are, so what do they do? Re-brand and launch a whole new product this fall! Too many miscommunications or zero communications, and then deadlines are moved up willy nilly with no regard to current priorities. The Gaiam side of things is supposedly equally as bad. HR also has been told to stay out of everything, so there are zero allies in the office. They refuse to hire more staff, and when they do it's contract only for a measly hourly rate. Yet there is plenty of cash around to remodel the office and get new desks? What a slap in the face to your employees. Also shady are the happy hours after work that turn into late nights at the boss' house where people show up hungover the next day; very blurred lines between business and pleasure where those who attend achieve "pal" or "bro" status that bleeds into the office environment.

2.0
3 Mar 2015

House of Cards

Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great people...while they last. Awesome food in the Cafe. Sweet gym. Labyrinth.

Cons

Missed opportunities to be really great. Buys and sells companies to balance books. No direction that made any sense. Most smart people move on due to upper management incoherence and nepotism from the top down.

4.0
18 Oct 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Thanks to a recent injection of some great talent courtesy of Microsoft, Gaiam TV's mission is now well-defined, and we're pushing hard to define and dominate a brand new market niche. Management is down-to-earth and accessible if not *highly* intolerant of slackers, incompetence and poor attitudes. However, there are rarely, if ever, demands to work excessive hours to finish projects however those who do are rewarded with nice bonuses along with plenty of recognition and respect. The food is good, the gym is nice and the neighborhood is a gorgeous place to get your running in. We have some REALLY bright, talented people at GTV and a culture of inclusion unlike any place I've ever worked. Company meetings are adorned with great beer, wine and tasty hors d'œurvres and always have a relaxed feel to them. Have I mentioned management is insanely accessible? If you don't take advantage of this, it's your loss.

Cons

A cutthroat attitude seems to be encouraged. I don't mind it so much, in fact I enjoy it, but I imagine many of the negative reviews have to do with this and it's admittedly stressful at times. I suspect this is a political game used by management to weed out certain people while allowing others to show what they're made of (also to save face by employing willing, perhaps vindictive participants to grind their axe), but it feels a bit too necessary sometimes. I think that may be a flat hierarchy in a rapidly-growing company for ya?? So sure, in that sense, it can be exclusive in a bad way but for the ambitious, somewhat confrontational person that wants to climb "the ladder", this is an incredible opportunity.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 62 Reviews

Glassdoor has 63 Gaiam reviews submitted anonymously by Gaiam employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Gaiam is right for you.