Unfortunately, my experience changed significantly over time. The biggest issue for me was a gradual loss of trust and autonomy. Decisions that should have sat comfortably within my role increasingly required director approval, to the point where I found myself wasting hours creating presentations to justify even straightforward product decisions. It became almost impossible to feel ownership over my work when so many decisions were second-guessed or revisited.
There was also a contradiction in expectations. The team were encouraged to take responsibility and make decisions, but in reality, it often felt like meaningful decisions couldn't be made without multiple layers of director approval. Over time this created hesitation rather than confidence, as people became reluctant to act without first seeking permission.
The company's flexible approach to hybrid working was one of the key reasons I joined in 2022. However, at the start of 2026, the option to work from home was removed entirely. From my perspective, this change appeared to be driven by the actions of a small number of employees, but it affected everyone regardless of individual circumstances.
At the same time, employees were told they needed approval from the CEO to start or finish work early, even for occasional situations. As a parent of two young children, there were times when I genuinely needed a small amount of flexibility, and this policy made it much harder to balance work and family responsibilities. It felt like the trust and flexibility that had originally attracted me to the company had gradually disappeared.
Communication across the business often felt poor. When colleagues were sacked, it was always handled quietly, with fractured communication to the wider team. This often left people whispering, and wondering what had happened, creating uncertainty and ultimately damaging morale. I experienced so many staff being let go I can’t even remember some of their names. Some colleagues I only found out had left after I saw someone else sat in their seat. I can genuinely say I’ve never worked somewhere with such a high staff turnover. You almost become numb to it, but it does breed an overwhelming concern of “who’s next?”.
Pressure increased dramatically whenever the business wasn't performing as expected. During quieter periods there was an expectation for immediate solutions and fresh ideas, quite often under significant pressure. Rather than feeling collaborative, these sessions felt reactive and confrontational.
Overall, I found the leadership style to be inconsistent, with priorities, communication, and expectations changing frequently. Toward the end of my time at Chillblast, at times it felt like the directors were unravelling, whether that was due to lower than expected sales or pressure from investors. During meetings I witnessed them becoming more confrontational, openly criticising and frequently swearing at staff. Whether intended as motivation or not, it created an environment where people were more concerned about staying quiet and avoiding criticism than contributing openly.
I also felt there was very little emotional support for employees. Several colleagues appeared clearly exhausted or burned out, yet the culture didn't feel one where people could openly discuss workload or wellbeing without worrying how it would be perceived. I’m an open person, perhaps too open at times, and I frequently told my line manager I was struggling.
Eventually, things reached a tipping point, and looking back I can almost pinpoint the exact moment my manager wrote me off. By then, I had already been excluded from training sessions and was no longer included in the daily trade meetings, which reinforced the feeling that I was being sidelined, even before any formal decision had been communicated. Soon after I was placed on a Performance Improvement Plan. I was reassured that the purpose was to help me grow and improve rather than to remove me from the business. I took this at face value and committed fully to it. I made meaningful changes to the way I worked, put considerable effort into improving both my performance and my approach, and genuinely believed I was making positive progress.
However, at my first scheduled review meeting, I was informed that I was being made redundant with immediate effect. Given the assurances I had received about the purpose of the Performance Improvement Plan, this came as a complete surprise and left me questioning whether the process had ever genuinely been intended to support my development. Ten minutes later I was locked out of the building.
More disappointing than losing the job itself was the lack of any personal acknowledgement afterwards. After everything I had invested in the role, I didn't receive so much as a goodbye or thank you from senior leadership, or even a message from my line manager after I left. The only correspondence I received after leaving was a strongly worded letter outlining my confidentiality obligations.
I genuinely wanted this role to succeed, and for a long time I believed it would. That's what makes writing this review so disappointing. My time at Chillblast started with enthusiasm and optimism, but ultimately ended with a feeling that trust, communication and respect had all but evaporated.