Culture of Toxic Positivity - Trainee Manager Bird & Blend Tea Employee Review

1.0
30 Aug 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

They do make some nice tasting teas Met some good friends whilst working there

Cons

Whilst working at Bird and Blend I twice worked 9 hour shifts where I was so extremely busy and rushed off my feet that I wasn’t able to take a break for the entire day. I didn’t get a tea or lunch break, nor 5 minutes to go to the loo. On one of these occasions I was also on my period and by the end of the day had bled through my pad and onto my jeans. If this sounds extreme and you’re thinking “that can’t be possible, how can anyone not have 5 minutes to go to the loo in a 9 hour shift” then you don’t know what it’s like to work at Bird and Blend. Worst still was the culture of toxic positivity at Bird and Blend. If you ever expressed anything other than orgasmic levels of enthusiasm about the teas or the business management then you were sidelined as a negative person and excluded, gossiped about, shamed and shouted at. Those same upper management staff members who would visit the stores and tell you how “fabulous it looks!” with big smiles would then turn around and talk crap about those same things they had complimented 30 minutes later to someone else. They culture cannot and will not change when the people at the top are setting this example. Hard work is not rewarded, there is no rewards programme whatsoever, the only incentive to work harder is so you won’t get shamed, gossiped about or told off. You also cannot trust the positive reviews on here as I have been in meetings where current staff members have been told to go online that day and write a 5 star review to try and combat the bad reviews. Only apply if you too are a toxic person and enjoy being worked into the ground.

Explore other reviews about Bird & Blend Tea

4.0
29 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Really Nice Values Good Team Members Fun Products Decent Discounts

Cons

Growing Pains Inconsistent Management & Values Slow to Action

2.0
29 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Most in the company were very inclusive and welcoming, accepting of anyone and everyone. My team were a joy to work with and the products are nice. My first year in the company was a dream come true when it was still the small business it claims to be.

Cons

Over the years I’ve seen this company expand a lot, which is super impressive. However, I feel like the core values that we have kept all the time are slowly being lost as working in store has become more of a numbers game. I have become physically unwell due to stress and anxiety from the pressure to give 110% at all times for a sale. I’ve heard multiple higher ups say things along the lines of “force people to spend money” which is entirely unethical and not something I support. I’d like to also highlight the latest example of poorly treated staff in my last week of employment here. In a major heatwave, we had stated the temperature in store was 34° at a minimum, and nothing was done to help this. Three staff members suffered from heat exhaustion due to this, with one team member being HOSPITALISED! What did they all get in return? An email that basically states “we DO care about you but there’s nothing we’re gonna do sorry” then gave excuses as to why they won’t install AC even though all other stores in the area had it. In recent months, possibly even the last year or two, all senior leadership has entirely lacked empathy and dignity. It was truly disappointing and I’m sad they pushed our team to the brink to the point where most of us left as we did not feel cared for by the company that “cares so much”.

1
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All