BrewDog, the upstart independent brewing company, has promised to “listen, learn and act” after a group of employees said there was a toxic culture in the company.
Sixty-one former employees and dozens of existing staff members published an open letter on Twitter that said “the true culture of BrewDog is, and seemingly always has been, fear”.
“In the wake of your success are people left burnt out, afraid and miserable,” the authors of the letter said.
“You go on LinkedIn and claim the buck stops with you, but do you have the guts to look at the team you have built around you and admit that the overwhelming majority of them are quietly afraid that their next mistake could be their last at BrewDog?” the letter from a group calling itself Punks With Purpose said.
BrewDog’s flagship brand is Punk IPA.
Responding to accusations that management has made serial commitments to make changes and do better in future, co-founder James Watt effectively admitted management had to make changes and do better in future.
“Our focus now is not on contradicting or contesting the details of that letter, but to listen, learn and act,” Watt said in a response to the open letter from the Punks With Purpose.
“We aren’t going to make excuses, we’re going to take action,” Watt said.
I loved some of my time at BrewDog. Until I didn’t anymore, for many of the reasons listed here. #withoutuswearenothing https://t.co/wNAN7dPtbf
— Maria Aurora (@Maria__Aurora) June 10, 2021