TerraCycle Reviews

THE "mission" either has always been, or has become, a charade that the CEO (Tom Szaky, and possibly other C-level employees) uses to gain the loyalty and dedication of his verbally abused, overworked, and underpaid employees. Because of the "cause" they believe they are contributing to, even the employees that recognize this stay and give their all for the intense work load and over-demanding boss that are usually justified at other companies by a much higher salary, only to find out that very few people reap monetary rewards proportionate to effort, and in fact everyone there is expendable... especially if they can be replaced by someone for a smaller salary. ACTUALLY RECYCLING the waste collected IS NOT A PRIORITY, and figuring out how to actually do so only occurs when a relationship with a brand is threatened. Many truths are bent or broken to get brands to sign on, and this usually manifests itself in hardship and moral dilemmas for the people that have to manage the relationships. Many decisions are made, including who stays and who goes, based on the CEO's ego/pride (his prerogative, really) and whether or not the decision works for the company's feeble reality tv show... which the company makes money on, is an additional source of strain on the employees whether or not they are in the show (again... his prerogative i guess), and for which the employees that are members of the cast are not compensated.

TerraCycle was a dream company for me to work for as I had been a long time admirer. Unfortunately the workplace culture has taken a steady downfall the last year or so. The recent crackdown in in-office attendance is unnecessary and infuriating- it is leading to employees policing each other and is frankly creating a hostile work environment. Most of our jobs can be done at equal, if not increased, efficiency from home. Despite it being well-known for years now post COVID, employees with increased work from home flexibility are happier (in both their personal and professional lives). We are a "green" company founded on environmental friendliness and waste reduction and we boast about it at every opportunity both internally and externally. We have a team of scientists that produces an annual carbon emissions report that includes employee commutes- ironic how this number could be significantly reduced by allowing employees who CAN work from home, to do so (acknowledging that this is not possible for all positions & departments). It was especially difficult to watch the CEO acquire a fourth (?) Air BnB property (specifically intended to house his art collection) last year, following a round of layoffs. This, while the majority of employees are compensated well below the market average, is particularly disheartening. Doing everything in my power to leave this company as soon as possible.