Programmer/Analyst - Anonymous employee Blum Employee Review

3.0
Apr 22, 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good, quality products. The company research & design team does an excellent job in innovation and product development. Company is very "engineering-centric". It is unusual in that it is a privately held world wide company so ideas and actions move smoothly. They pride their work environment by showcasing their products and their customer products.

Cons

Austrian ownership and most top management positions are held by German or Austrians. Even in IT, visions are very planned and strict; to the point if exceptions occur, progress halts until everything is re-analyzed. Austrian IT mgmt in the US seems impersonal and remote. Also, salary IT people have to clock in and out on the Kronos clocks. Compensation is probably 15-20% below market average.

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Blum Response
9y
Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback on your experiences. We appreciate you doing that and would ask that you keep a couple things in mind. Blum is a family owned business that is financially secure and able to make its own decisions. This allows us the freedom to spend as much time as is necessary to consider our strategic options before acting. 75% of top management positions at Blum US are held by Americans and we value the diverse perspectives that we get from this mixed management team. We understand that using a time clock to record work time is unusual for a salaried employee, but we have found that most have adapted to the process and don’t see it at as a significant burden. Keep in mind that in our system, time clocks record a salaried employee’s work hours and assist in capturing and calculating overtime hours worked. In addition to a base annual salary, we provide additional compensation for those overtime hours. We take the management of compensation plans very serious. Because of that, we maintain a subscription to a tool that provides us up to date and comprehensive salary guidance that helps us address the complex nature of that activity.

Explore other reviews about Blum

5.0
Dec 17, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good people work at this company.

Cons

The culture is very centered in doing things the way they have always been done.

2.0
Jun 2, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Blum historically offered a strong culture, excellent coworkers, long-term career opportunities, and a genuine commitment to employee development. For many years, leadership appeared to believe that taking care of employees would naturally lead to business success. The company invested in people, encouraged loyalty, and fostered a collaborative environment.

Cons

Over the past seven years, and especially in the last few years, the culture has changed dramatically. The focus appears to have shifted from employee well-being and sustainable growth to maximizing financial performance and driving ever-increasing workloads. Many employees are carrying responsibilities that would have previously been distributed across multiple roles. Expectations continue to increase while resources remain limited. As a result, burnout has become common, and even long-tenured employees who once envisioned spending their careers here are leaving or being pushed beyond reasonable limits. One of the most concerning changes is the growing disconnect between leadership and employees. Feedback is frequently requested, but many employees feel their concerns are not genuinely heard or acted upon. Decisions often seem to be made far from the people closest to the work, resulting in initiatives that create additional complexity without addressing operational realities. There also appears to be an increasing trend of promoting individuals into positions beyond their capabilities while discounting the expertise of experienced employees. This has contributed to declining morale, inconsistent decision-making, and a lack of confidence in leadership direction. Blum remains a financially strong company with excellent products and a respected brand. However, the employee-centered culture that once differentiated the company has been significantly diminished.

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