Shellworks Reviews

4.2

79% would recommend to a friend

(4 total reviews)

Insiya Jafferjee

72% approve of CEO

100% positive business outlook

Reviews by job title

4 reviews
1.0
28 Aug 2024

Overall, a toxic and manipulative workplace. Avoid.

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The sustainability startup space attracts some kind, thoughtful, and hard working people. While portions of the team are incredibly problematic, the rest of the team is a joy to work with and they make the days bearable.

Cons

The leadership team have little to no direction and are constantly pivoting the business strategy. This is possibly because the founders have no ability to be impartial about each other’s performance and decision-making. They’re currently undercutting themselves to sell product and its unlikely they’ll be able to bring their costs down to match. They label the company as an innovator in the materials space but effectively they are a glorified distributor. They source materials from external manufacturers, slap a trendy design on it, and farm it back out to small scale UK manufacturers. The work is only difficult because they run every project with an unrealistic timeline. Like most startups, burnout is a huge problem. People are seen as a means to an end and are used as such, with no regard to what it does on a personal level. Any attempt to have work life balance, or to improve process to reduce workload is seen as weakness. They’ll try to scare it out of you with bad performance reviews that have no concrete fixable outcomes besides “work more hours”. In the last 10 months the attrition rate has been 75%. Sexism and misogyny are rife. They burn though female employees at an astonishing rate. The only members considered to be part of the core team are men. Every one of those men were reported for sexual harassment a year ago, by multiple women. Promises were made in private to let go at least one of them. Instead, less than two months later, all three were given stellar reviews and have since been promoted. Two have been allowed to manage teams.

avatar
Shellworks Response
1y
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. First and foremost, we want to express our sincere regret that your experience with Shellworks was a negative one. Regardless of the circumstances, we are truly sorry that you did not enjoy your time with us. This is not the experience we aim to provide for any of our team members, and we take your feedback seriously. We appreciate your acknowledging that there are kind, thoughtful, and hardworking people on our team. Nurturing a brilliant and ambitious team within a collaborative, kind environment is one of our key priorities. We are deeply concerned by the issues you've raised, as they do not align with the values we strive to uphold or the workplace we aim to create. Please know we are committed to listening to your feedback, reflecting upon it, and taking action to improve our employee experience. Regarding some of the specific points you've mentioned: 1. Business Strategy: As a startup in the sustainability space, we sometimes need to pivot our strategy to adapt to market demands and opportunities. We acknowledge that this can be challenging and are working to improve our communication around these changes to provide more clarity and direction to our team. 2. Work Life Balance: We do not condone a culture of overwork. We're actively reviewing our processes to ensure they support a healthy work-life balance for all team members. 3. Workplace Conduct: We have a zero-tolerance policy for any form of harassment or discrimination. While we can't discuss internal reviews publicly, we take all reports of misconduct seriously and investigate them thoroughly. If you're willing, I'd welcome the opportunity to have a conversation with us directly or our People Lead at danielle@thepeoplevault.co.uk. A conversation would allow us to better understand the specific instances that led to these concerns and help us take appropriate action to address them effectively. Once again, we are truly sorry that your experience with us was so unsatisfactory. We are committed to creating a workplace where all team members feel valued, respected, and supported. Thank you again for your candid feedback. We wish you all the best. Insiya & Amir
5.0
27 Aug 2025

Good culture and working environment

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

A young team where everyone is on board with the same mission and dedication to the space. People are very easy to get along with. Best office perk is the free lunches, which are often very nutritious and healthy, and the team always eats lunches together which is great for bonding. Managers are fair, and give good feedback where it counts. Company has a strong growth trajectory and good vision for the future.

Cons

Occasionally lacks the proper infrastructure to promote work efficiency. Could also incorporate better learning opportunities. A lot of the times we're needing to DIY things or sprint to get it done, as is such in a startup. If you're not passionate about the mission, it might not be a great fit, as you really need to give it your all during tough times.

5.0
17 Jul 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Incredibly smart and ambitious team - Very mission led, and driven by the challenge to eliminate plastic waste - Great place to learn and own work, due to the pace of work people are constantly pushed outside of their comfort zone - Truly innovative products - Inclusive and great work environment. Strong alignment within the team.

Cons

- Job can be high pressure due to the pace of growth - Work/life balance can be poor depending on volume of projects ongoing at one time

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