Tremendous opportunity mishandled by poor leadership - Design Strategist bei Relish Works: Mitarbeiterbewertung

Relish is uniquely positioned as a strategic partner and innovation department for a multi-billion dollar parent company. The leadership and team have earned the trust of this organization over the past six years by delivering quality work and creating value. As I have grown in my career, although hard to quantify, this impact is something I've become incredibly proud of. The relationship Relish has built with its stakeholders allows for a lot of flexibility in how work is accomplished, and the team is even responsible for determining which problems are most important to solve. I highly value the level of trust and autonomy I experience at Relish, which has been unparalleled elsewhere in my career. Team members at all levels have incredible exposure to parent co's executive leadership and are given the chance to voice their opinions and expertise. The team at Relish is small, nimble, and full of creative employees who care about making an impact with the work they do, and they're a delight to work with. The work-life balance is also quite good; team leads and directors are considerate about work load, deadlines are created thoughtfully, and managers are accommodating when it comes to time off.

Relish is a small to medium sized team, designed to operate like a startup where possible, so if formality and strict process is your preferred way of operating, this may not be the right fit. The organization is intentionally flat, and lacks a strong hierarchy, which can be frustrating for some. However, there is a plethora of opportunity and chances to grow and learn in many different ways, if you're looking for it. Opportunities for career growth do exist and can be created but may not be presented on a regular cadence in a traditional path. Work is project based, focused on the foodservice industry, and often involves a lot of corporate communication – this may not sound interesting, fulfilling, or flashy to some, but I believe there is value to be found here.

Relish Works has a genuinely kind and well-meaning team. The company values innovation and creative thinking, and there’s a strong emphasis on human-centered design. If you align with the internal culture, it can be a great environment to grow in. Leadership is open to ideas, and there’s a good degree of autonomy for individual contributors

The culture can feel quite insular. A significant number of employees, especially in leadership or influential roles, come from the same educational background and work in a very specific style. If you don’t naturally operate in that way, it can be hard to feel fully integrated or seen. There’s a strong female presence in leadership, which is great in many ways — but many of the junior or entry-level roles are held by personal connections of those in charge, and at times, it feels like being part of that friend network is more valuable than performance or contribution. If you’re not in that social circle, especially as a non-female employee, it can be tough to build rapport with leadership or access the same opportunities. Additionally, some managers are quite new to leadership, and it shows in areas like feedback delivery, team development, and communication under pressure. It’s a growing team, but it would benefit from more structured management training.