Fiskars Group Reviews

Many changes last couple of years

Over the past year, this company (Vita) has transformed from a demanding but high-performing organization into a culture driven by fear, centralization, and intimidation. Historically, the company operated in a fast-changing industry with constant adaptation, restructuring, and shifting priorities. That was accepted because there was still a sense that strong performance, accountability, and delivering results mattered. If you did your job well, you were trusted and allowed to operate. That no longer exists. Decision-making has gradually been stripped away from business units and local markets, leaving almost all authority concentrated with one person at the top. What used to be an entrepreneurial organization has become a highly centralized and increasingly totalitarian environment where leaders are afraid to make decisions without approval. The leadership culture has become deeply toxic. People are belittled in meetings, spoken to disrespectfully, and in some cases openly called stupid. Employees and leaders are regularly degraded behind their backs. Fear has replaced collaboration, and the atmosphere now feels like every person is fighting to protect their own position rather than working toward common goals. What makes the situation worse is the complete absence of meaningful HR leadership. HR has become invisible at a time when the organization most needs professionalism, empathy, and business understanding. Several experienced people with both business acumen and strong people leadership have disappeared, replaced by leadership with little visible interest in culture, employee development, or organizational health. Employees across the organization feel powerless, exhausted, and constantly worried about their jobs. There is little psychological safety left, and very little trust in leadership. Employees who challenge decisions, speak up for themselves, or express disagreement are often viewed negatively rather than constructively. Instead of encouraging healthy debate, differing perspectives can quickly become career-limiting. Rapidly, this has created a culture of silence where many employees avoid raising concerns or offering honest feedback out of fear of being marginalized or ultimately pushed out of the organization. Rather than creating trust, supporting employees, or safeguarding a healthy culture, HR is seen by many as executing and legitimizing decisions already made at the top. Loyalty to senior leadership outweighs fairness, transparency, or employee well-being. Ironically, the company continues to deliver solid financial results, which seems to remove any urgency from ownership in Finland to address the culture or leadership problems. As long as the numbers look good, the human cost appears to be ignored. Is it because they are hoping to sell Vita off when strategy 2028 is fulfilled?