While there were a few bright spots, the cons at Fluidra North America ultimately overshadowed the good—especially in the last few years. The culture that once made the company special simply… vanished. I used to look forward to Mondays. By the end, it felt more like a creative sweatshop where joy went to die.
Here’s why:
-Unsustainable workloads: Management expects one person to do the work of three roles. It’s normal for a single employee to take on what should be an entire small team’s workload—with zero support and zero boundaries.
-Seriously poor compensation: Salaries lag far behind industry standards—by about $30K in many cases. At one point, an entry-level employee reporting to me made the same salary I did… despite my 15+ years of experience.
-Workplace bullies: Although many people were wonderful, the few toxic employees were allowed to wreak havoc unchecked, making life miserable for the rest.
-No remote work: If you’re looking for flexible or remote options, this is absolutely not the place.
-The corporate game (play it or pay for it): Leadership has clear favorites. When they mess up, nothing happens. But if you point out legitimate issues or attempt to hold people accountable, you become the problem.
-Zero empathy from HR and management: Do not expect support. Speaking up about bullying or burnout is treated like insubordination. When I finally went to HR—deeply depressed, having panic attacks caused by one coworker’s sustained bullying—they didn’t investigate. They put me on a PIP and pushed me out after I had to take FMLA to deal with the stress. This was just three months after receiving glowing talent review feedback, years of excellent performance reviews, and delivering campaigns that are still benefiting the company today.