There is a high level of general employee dissatisfaction at Outbrain in Germany, which is reflected in the working atmosphere. Unfortunately, complaints are only made behind the scenes, which of course does not lead to the desired result.
In my opinion, the company's focus is too much on beating the competition as opposed to further developing its own business (including its employees) and optimizing existing processes.
When I tried to openly address problems, they were either interpreted as personal criticism or not accepted at all. There is no professional feedback culture which is highly uncommon in this industry and really surprised me. Since many colleagues (esp. from management) feel personally attacked when given feedback, I am not surprised that a certain level of resignation has been established amongst employees. In the long run, more and more qualified employees will leave the company as a result.
There is no structured working mode, which is expressed, for example, by the fact that roles are filled without concrete expectations. This leads to misunderstandings and disappointments on both sides. Also, there are no career paths in place for either of the roles. This makes it very hard for employees to stay motivated and to feel appreciated.
Apparently there are only two options for a "good" cooperation: either you submit to the chaos or you leave. You can see very clearly that the managers here have no training in communication and leadership. Unfortunately, this is noticable all the way from the application process until resignation.
Due to my poor experience, I do not recommend Outbrain in Germany as an employer. Please note, that my experience does not refer to other Outbrain locations.
