2nd April 2024
We are saddened, yet unsurprised, to see that the cultural issues we raised with BrewDog in 2021 clearly still persist today. Despite the company’s supposed commitment to addressing issues, the fact that workers at BrewDog’s flagship venue felt compelled to write and sign an open letter shows that if anything, things have got worse.
Sometimes it was linked to James directly, sometimes it was because someone in a position of power felt enabled to act in such a manner. We believe these toxic attitudes towards junior staff trickled down throughout the business from day one, until they were simply an intrinsic part of the company.
Some people [treated] other staff however they liked without repercussions – making them feel belittled and/or pressured into working beyond their capacity, and often eventually feeling forced out of the business – because that was perceived as the way the company operated, and if we didn’t like it, we should leave. Every single one of us worked with at least one of these people, who often quickly rose through the ranks as someone loyal to James and his preferred ways of working.
Excerpts from the 2021 open letter
While we did not have the opportunity to work alongside the folks at BrewDog Waterloo who have spoken out, we recognise their strength and their commitment to their team. We continue to recommend that BrewDog workers join a union, and also that the public go back, look at the commitments BrewDog made, and consider whether they have stuck by them to make things better for their staff.