Refinery29 reviews

Refinery29 had ambitious and praiseworthy missions, but its leadership has no idea how to execute them properly. Over two years, I saw positions and departments eliminated, only to be re-instituted a year later. Executives at higher levels appear to come and go at alarming rates. I was laid off in the massive cuts last December, and at that point, morale was abysmal. It’s hard to be positive when there are constant layoffs — the December round was preceded by smaller rounds of layoffs — and no one’s job is secure, at least not at the lower levels. There is no reward for company loyalty, and those who have been at the company for years are just as likely to be laid off without warning, at any given time. And despite earning plenty of funding and hosting elaborate sponsored events like 29 Rooms, Refinery29 was penny-pinching in every way, shape, and form. They tout having free bagels on Fridays, but good luck actually nabbing one. Same with things like free pizza -- there are company-wide emails about things like this as a reward for hard work, but there is never enough food ordered, and actually getting some is like winning the Hunger Games. Even basic things like coffee were steadily reduced, with executives saying that cold brew was costing as much as a lower-level employee’s salary. OK -- but then why are so many low-level employees getting laid off? The most depressing part of Refinery29, though, is that it does not practice what it preaches. Refinery29 has an empowering message of inclusion and equality, but that doesn’t seem to trickle down to employees. There are helpful articles about asking for raises and knowing your worth on the site, but employees were advised repeatedly not to ask for raises. In terms of editorial coverage, they tiptoe around writing anything even remotely critical of many brands. What topics are covered and not covered appear to be strategic decisions driven by money. Working here is not worth the long hours, stress, and constant fear of layoffs. Don’t be fooled by things like 29 Rooms!

The Insta-Founders’ lack of experience is on full display every day as they bungle promotions, company meetings, day to day interactions with the staff, and strategic decisions. The other members of the c-suite on are equally incompetent and know only how to manage up or push blame downwards. The new COO seems smart but she’ll probably leave as everyone who knows what they’re doing does after looking under the hood at R29. It is a culture of fear and pink narcissism. My friends who have left (voluntarily) tell me they feel like they’ve been freed from a psychological prison that you can’t understand when you’re in it because they execs run around going “it’s digital media! It’s digital media!” as an excuse for their inability to behave in a respectable way and make you feel like YOU’RE the problem. If the mission is to support women to claim their power, why is the culture unsupportive, dysfunctional, and predatory? The executive team is so impressed with themselves they don’t even try to change their behaviors. They don’t realize how little respect we all have for them, and even if they did, they’d just write a woe-is-me Instagram post about it to increase their followers.