Good understanding of great corporate culture/values but falls way short on actual execution - Anonymous employee Clif Bar Employee Review

2.0
Jul 29, 2014
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Benefits/Perks/Vacations - in many employee's opinions referred to as the golden handcuffs Passionate and creative people. Personal relationships with good people If you want an easy 9-5 job and/or to stop being pushed/developed, this is the perfect laid-back culture Mostly employees parents who love the day care and no after hour emails - their priority is not work anymore

Cons

Leadership. Many of the leaders are here based on personal friendships with the owners/founders I have never experienced more of a clique - not even in school. Management talks behind everyone's back and people are watched carefully. Don't you dare think about speaking your mind - you have to agree with the path the company is taking. There is no room for people who think outside of the box or propose to do things differently - even to have these discussions are dangerous. Clif believes in their formula - and it's worked for 20 years but are not open to change and they are suffering. Just look at the packaging and slow product launches - easy to see why Kind and others have taken significant market share in less than 5 years. Culture changed dramatically from the beginning to end of my career at Clif and they have treated many people very poorly. I agree with one reviewer who said, "Go-getter types may not get enough from the gym and free bars to feel professionally satisfied at Clif" Promos are a thing of the past as they are only hiring experts in their field and you'll be lucky to get a lateral job if you want to try something else.

Explore other reviews about Clif Bar

5.0
Nov 3, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great mentorship and uniquely hospitable work environment.

Cons

Challenging transitionary time with its recent acquisition. I'm sure that the opportunities afforded by this acquisition have been exciting.

3.0
Jan 27, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

People, Brand, Culture were great prior to the acquisition by Mondelez

Cons

So many layoffs and underperformance post-acquisition, company lost its soul

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