Restoration Hardware Reviews

Current Employee – been working at Restoration Hardware full-time for more than a year

Pros – Great product and a very creative atmosphere. Great people who are fun and down to earth.

Cons – Long hours, no work life balance. Very stressful.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Restoration Hardware full-time

Pros – Sample sales, anyone below the level of director were really good to work with, amazing products and decent pay.

Cons – If you like working for uninspiring and incompetent leaders who only care about how high up the ladder they can reach...than this is place for you!

Most of the leaders lack the basic knowledge of how to do their jobs which will make you wonder if any of them really went to college and their level of incompetence will also cause you to constantly muttering the phrase "Really, you really want me to do that!?" Trust me, it happens more times than you would think. For example, I had to plan my department's budget on several occasions because my boss didn't know how to do basic math. They don't care about their employees and the core values are constantly thrown in your face if you ever question them. Decisions are constantly changed at the last hour and as a result you're always doubling your efforts on projects, which is why the average work day is 10-12 hours.

A work life balance is non-existant and the frequency of people suffering from stress related illnesses have gone up in the past couple of years. Because of that the turnover rate is extremely high and many talented people have left the company–some have even quit without finding a new job and currently the company is having a hard time filling positions because of their reputation for burning out people.

Advice to Senior Management – Do some serious house cleaning and restructuring. Restoration Hardware can become a great company to work at with the right people at the helm.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Restoration Hardware part-time for less than a year

Pros – Resto is a company firmly rooted upon an amazing set of values that every employee wants to live by everyday. The Leadership at the Flatiron gallery takes a regular interest in my professional and personal development and believes in my potential. As a Sales Associate, I am given the tools and resources to build and nurture meaningful relationships with clients.

Questions and opinions from all associates are encouraged by the Leadership, accepted by the team and shared with the company.

Cons – You are your own boss. There is no corporate ladder to ascend, so if you need to be given direction or lack the vision to be a game-changer this is probably not the place for you.

Advice to Senior Management – Keep on inspiring.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Restoration Hardware part-time for more than a year

Pros – For the most part the people are fun to be around. The stores look good and have "pretty" product.

Cons – Company constantly changes and has so many inconsistancies. Don't bother to actually live by the "core values" the company has, no one else does and power hungry management is majority. Poor delivery companies, stuff always arrives broken and wrong.

Advice to Senior Management – Finally a good sign as CEO Friedman is forced to step down. He's not a business person but a dreamer.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Restoration Hardware full-time for more than a year

Pros – Worked on some interesting projects. Liked the creative aesthetic. Met some really wonderful people, who are no longer there. Sample sales were fun and the only real reward for my time spent there.

Cons – I had a hard time giving Resto one star because it was the worst experience of my 20 yr career. They deserve a zero.

I put up with an extremely toxic and abusive boss. In our department, there was an overwhelming amount of work and unrealistic expectations (even for a type A master juggler). I'm not referring to having to pull a 12 hour day once and a while, but an environment where all sensibility seemed out of whack. Working at Resto meant giving up any sense of a personal or family life. There was no respect for, or boundries honored, for weekends or vacation time. To add insult to injury, we had a boss that would toss you under the bus at a moment's notice, slander you when you were out of the office, fly off the handle, make insulting and unprofessional remarks and in general was very difficult to work with. It was like dealing with a crazy person.

I witnessed a lot of politics and bad behavior (mostly by our leader, but also by others)... Behavior that was extremely unprofessional, shameful and embarrassing. There was a heads-down, solemn atmosphere where people were afraid to be candid. There was no energy or vitality and no genuine sense of collaboration among teams. In general, the place was depressing, sad and stressful to the point of making a person physically ill.

More than a few people have written me to say they were (or are) getting sick from the stress and have either left or plan to. What is significant is that they have left without having another job in a lack-luster economy. It is that bad.

They have lost a lot of talent on the corporate campus due to attrition. The leadership team seems too self absorbed to notice the brain drain going on. The message perceived is that they do not care.

There is a cult like clan in the inner circle worshiping GF. The leadership talks about core values, but they have no clue that the culture does not align to them at the home office.

Although GF loves to quote famous people in an effort to either inspire or show off, he comes across as superficial, arrogant and egotistical. When I was there, there was a tremendous amount of financial waste. They could not make a decision and would spend all kinds of money re-executing at the last minute. There is an extremely lack of communication, process, and strategic planning. The place was always in chaos and there was no support for putting the right resources in place.

Carlos Alberini (who is now the sole CEO since GF was asked to resign by the board) seems like a talented, competent and genuinely honest leader. He seems out of place however at Resto -- Where several of the top leaders seem shallow, superficial, lacking in emotional intelligence, and incapable of making decisions. I'm not sure how effective he will be at changing the culture.

Benefits are not great. No 401K match. I think they pay well, but the experience is not worth it. My pov... Life is too short. There are too many wonderful companies and great teams to be apart of. So glad I moved on and put the Resto experience behind me.

Advice to Senior Management – The HR department and the senior leadership team seems to be asleep at the wheel when it comes to their Corporate campus culture. So, take the pulse and work on building collaborative and energetic teams. Find out who the incompetent and abusive managers are because there are some that are ruining the place, not to mention they pose a liability!

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Restoration Hardware

Pros – Restoration Hardware is a force within the San Francisco Bay Area retail industry. There are only so many, so to be working at a place with such a recognizable name is a bonus.

Also, employees have the perk of a discount and occasional sample sales, which are a great way to get employees together in the same room. (It doesn't happen often)

Cons – There are no growth opportunities. Applying for jobs within the company is an awkward process that alienates you from your manager and team. And if you don't get the job? You can say goodbye to your raise and a nice yearly review.

The company moves fast, erratically, without a real sense of purpose and direction. It's all at the whim of an impulsive CEO. (Believe me, the other reviews do not exaggerate.) It's incredibly frustrating to always be months behind schedule because senior management cannot come to a decision, and be the brunt of customers' anger when things do not go right and the product falls apart.

To be clear: There is ZERO employee culture. There are no get-togethers, there is no break room, there is no team-wide introduction and no training program whatsoever. Yes, that means if your job is to run a report on a program that only Restoration Hardware uses, then there is no way to build upon the skills you learn while on the job. If this is what you are looking for, then this may be good for you. The company lives by core values that must be repeated at each major department meeting but no one follows them.

Advice to Senior Management – Make this as great of a place to work as you state in your values. And if you can't, then don't mislead people into thinking they're joining a company where they can actually grow their careers.

Former Employee – worked at Restoration Hardware

Pros – - close to San Francisco
- product line doing well and expansion seems promising

Cons – - cultish corporate culture, e.g., company wide core values and institutionalized conflict management strategies
- poorly defined positions and lack of clear guidance

Advice to Senior Management – - promote within
- consider employee training practices

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Restoration Hardware

Pros – Good pay for the area. Good benefits. 40% employee discount on Restoration Hardware merchandise. Convenient location for those who live in the central valley.

Cons – Outdated computer programs. I have no idea how some of the people running this place became managers. There is a high turnaround rate which leads to under staffing.

Advice to Senior Management – I've seen some favoritism occur when promotions were involved and this of course leads to inefficient management. Pay more attention to who is actually doing the work.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Restoration Hardware

Pros – Working in the Tracy call center is a very easy job. Getting hired on takes little effort.

Cons – Work is so easy it's boring. They're completely overstaffed but insist they're short hundreds of hours. I sit and space out on a wall for the better part of my shift. We've all come to the conclusion that they scared all the old employees out so that they could hire new people at lower wages before they go public. On that note- the pay is terrible. You could make more money, have more fun and feel like a productive member of society flipping burgers. They appear to promote those who have attendance and performance issues. If you're thinking this will be a foot in the door to put use your degree, think again. Those had working well educated individuals will not go far here. They do not conduct a background check, contact reference or drug test employees. This is evident when you look around the employees -the low moral, lack of intelligence and non-existant dress code speaks for itself. Out of date software, low performing co-workers, ancient policies and an "us vs. them" tolerated attitude from the stores creates a barely tolerable place to work. Most everyone working here is actively looking for another job.

Advice to Senior Management – If you required more in an employee, you could hire 50 productive people instead of 250 idiots.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Restoration Hardware

Pros – The product LOOKS great.
The associates for the most part care.
The associates care about the company and customer.

Cons – Higher leadership (ie: reginal and district) turn a blind eye to obvious problems.
Store leaders care more about their own experiences and emotions than running a business.
Be aware of inappropriate questioning during interviews regarding your marriage, children, etc. a true human resource nightmare.
The reginal leadership pretends to care but uses term " wrong people" to use as an excuse to dismiss people.
The business could be better if they would deliver furniture that wasn't broken to customers.
Most leaders abuse their power and terminate people on the basis of 2 minute tardiness, while favorite associates come and go as they please.
Cultish, exclutionary, faux cool, and obsession with CEO and VP reads more like a place of worship than a place of business.
Too much personal information shared regarding family trauma, disease, etc. all under the guise of getting too know each other. Very innapopriate and borderline illegal.

Advice to Senior Management – Reginal leaders take notice of all the great staff you are losing. Spend less time on feelings and more time on a business during conference calls. Stop trying to convince us how "cool" you are.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend