What better way is there to speak the truth of what goop is like than in light of its 5 core HQ values?
1. “Listening Generously”
- There will always be personal agendas and vendettas at goop, especially with certain people in leadership. This culture of fear and mistrust permeates every aspect of the company.
- You would think that newcomers’ perspectives (as well as some diversity) within the company would be helpful, but only a select few of goop’s original employees and key players in the Executive Team are taken seriously at the company.
- There is no space or curiosity for your own ideas, whether they’re big or small. The only thing that this brand capitalizes on is its notorious name to keep the partnership money and revenues streams going. It’s all a cash grab to keep the business afloat. Don’t expect most of your contributions to be taken seriously here.
2. “Speaking Straight”
- You’re only allowed to speak straight at goop if you’re EL or GP. Know that in order to survive at goop, you have to keep your mouth shut.
- Anyone else who attempts to “speak straight” and expresses valid concerns and questions with the company gets their hand slapped.
- For a company that preaches holistic wellness and transparency, I have never felt more diminished or gaslighted by a company in my entire life, ever. Trust me, the insidious toxicity and secrecy at goop is not worth experiencing just to be associated with GP and the brand name. Your physical and mental health are infinitely more valuable than these factors.
3. “Being For Each Other”
- How can anyone at goop “be for each other” when certain executives are always plotting to get rid of them, and even their own fellow execs? How can there be any ounce of trust and safety in the day-to-day work at all with this culture of fear?
- Not only are goop’s teams completely siloed, but having only two project managers for the whole company is a joke. This caused levels of spin beyond control, even in the simplest of tasks. If goop actually cared about cultivating a collaborative environment, they would’ve implemented internal processes and hired more roles to create a healthy, productive workplace. Every day felt like you’re putting out 100 fires simultaneously while the mean girls club is inevitably judging and gossiping about you from afar.
4. “Honoring Commitments”
- A VERY basic first suggestion to goop: start by “honoring your commitments” to your own employees by not firing or laying them off every quarter/year, for arbitrary reasons? “Not being a culture fit” is inexcusable — it’s goop’s entire responsibility that they’re not be able to retain talent in any sustainable way.
- Additionally, goop should try to honor their commitments by buttoning up their complete lack of business strategy and learning from past mistakes. I can’t describe how many bad business decisions were made (the magazine, In goop Health, etc), delayed launches, missed benchmarks, and so much disorganization and inefficiency caused by an utter lack of internal communication.
- If unlimited vacation days is an added work benefit, goop should actually honor this commitment for its employees, full stop. Unlimited vacation days and two week winter/summer breaks mean absolutely nothing if employees are always expected to be online and available to work (and also get in trouble if you actually try to unplug during your time off).
5. “Acknowledgment & Appreciation”
- EL won’t ever look you in the eye to acknowledge you or say hello to you like a NORMAL human being. Don’t even waste your breath on trying to engage with her.
- HR is a complete joke. If you express any valid concerns to them, expect that they will not vouch for you, but literally do the exact opposite of what you need. This is shameful and unacceptable for a company of 250+ employees. Do better.
- If you’ve had any issues and/or significant delays with goop’s interviews or the onboarding process (which is nonexistent, by the way), you are not alone. The complete lack of processes and communication here only goes to show that goop does not care for you as a person — they only care about how they’ll use you to benefit the company’s bottom line.
- goop needs to acknowledge and appreciate their employees by paying them fairly. It’s a no-brainer to keep salaries commensurate with inflation, to start. The thought of seriously discussing promotions or raises at goop in general was a laughable one. Please take note that if you accept a job here, it will be difficult to ask for any productive conversations about growth opportunities and raises.
