Toxic wasteland - Senior Software Engineer HelloFresh Employee Review

1.0
Sep 5, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Anything positive is a lucky coincidence, a works council and a few good leaders are still trying to salvage the situation but it's a steep uphill battle unless there's a major change in top leadership, and soon.

Cons

Extremely toxic company culture. The values are seemingly positive, but the CEO repeatedly makes statements that contradict them. They hire immigrants because they're ignorant of German law, some company policies actually contradict the law, but no one seems to know. Performance cycles are a joke, there are a million dimensions that contradict each other so every result is completely arbitrary, promotions and raises have more to do with whether your manager likes you and how much clout they have to negotiate budgets—if they fail, you get told it's because you aren't performing, no matter what other reviewers say. As a result, good professionals leave in droves when they're assigned to a bad manager, and there are so many of those, it's just a matter of time. The company never organised and streamlined processes from its startup times, and as a result it's failing in multiple fronts. Leadership predictably blames everyone for this, except themselves, while dumping money and effort in the wrong places and engaging in petty bickering with the works council.

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5.0
Apr 12, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good job great benefits can be

Cons

Fast paced environment can be

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HelloFresh Response
1mo
Hi there, we’re thrilled to know that the benefits are a part of what makes your experience here so fulfilling. Your hard work and enthusiasm are critical to our continued progress, and we are so thankful to have you with us. Here’s to achieving even more together in the future! Thank you & best regards, DS & Your HelloFresh HR Team
1.0
Nov 24, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

There are some genuinely nice people here but that is the only real positive. Even they are slowly leaving because the culture has become too toxic to stay in.

Cons

Highly political culture with no real promotions. Leadership is insecure, ego driven, and more focused on protecting themselves than supporting employees. Micromanagement is constant, communication is poor, and priorities shift without explanation. Quiet layoffs happen with no transparency and usually protect the same small group. The new US marketing lead has made the culture even worse. He was difficult to work with before and has only become more problematic in a higher role. There is constant questioning, no clear vision, and nonstop steering that sends teams in circles. It is hard to understand how he keeps moving up the ladder despite repeated negative scores and consistent employee feedback. Independent analysis, including the Grizzly Research report, highlights similar issues such as unstable leadership, lack of direction, and a business that feels like it is declining. What the report describes matches what employees experience inside the company. Even if the CEO or HR choose to ignore these problems, they remain the reality employees deal with every day.

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HelloFresh Response
6mo
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re sorry to hear about your experience and take comments like this very seriously. At HelloFresh, we strive to create an inclusive, respectful, and supportive environment for all employees. If exclusionary behavior or cliques were part of your experience, we would like to learn more so we can address them. Please feel free to reach out to us at hf-feedback@hellofresh.com. Thank you & best regards, DS & Your HelloFresh HR Team
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