Like Everything Lush had some cons which I feel are important to mention:
- Because the company is based on Freshness and High Energy they employ many people and usually have them work the minimum 5 hours shifts e.g. 5 hour shifts. Anyone who works in retail will know this means you will likely not have a break and all the while will be working multiple days (e.g. 4-5 days) to earn what you could working 2-3 full days. This was a problem for me because it was the most demanding amount of work I could take on and the compensation I received didn't reflect that. This doesnt mention the continued effort and expense on my part of commuting.
-Another Issue was that the bureaucracy associated with booking holiday pay was at times very difficult to do- I dealt with it and even watched upper management (supervisors and trainee managers) struggle to book holiday when they'd like even when they gave plenty of notice. Often there was poor rationale why an employee couldn't take vacation.
- In this same area, there was lacking clarity concerning fair vacation pay- especially in regards to when an employee consistently worked overtime in my case.
- Similarly, sick days were often challenging to be reimbursed for.
- Many people working in retail are aware that that the christmas period is super demanding - Lush does not allow staff to take vacation during this period - but the pay does not fairly compensate for this.
My bottom Line(s):
I worked at Lush for almost two years-I excelled at my employment and I attribute that to the excellent business model and core values to support. It would seem contradictory that a company with so much emphasis on ethics and values would be in some ways really jeopardize the wellbeing of its employees through minimal working hours e.t.c.. However, it is also very clear to me that many staff benefits offered to employees are not even present at many other work places. So to speak- Lush is far from perfect and is still a way better place to work than just about anywhere else I can think of.
