Mental health firm which pays Prince Harry ‘£1million’ a year accused of ‘toxic culture’ by staff
A MENTAL health firm that pays Prince Harry a reported £1million a year has been accused of having a “toxic culture” by its staff.
BetterUp, which employed Harry as chief impact officer two years ago, was also accused of bullying.
At the time of his appointment, Harry said: “I firmly believe focusing on and prioritising mental fitness unlocks potential and opportunity.”
BetterUp — originally valued at £730million — recently axed around 100 people in a bid to slash costs.
On independent workplace review site Glassdoor, which has 60million users a month, almost half of the 487 people recorded to have spent time working at BetterUp rate it as a negative environment.
One former employee wrote on the site: “Cult-like facade, bullying, toxicity, everyone out for themselves”
An account executive, who worked at the company less than a year, said BetterUp was “hands down the worst company I’ve worked for”.
Another said: “Worst of all, in a company dedicated to helping others achieve psychological safety, there is no physiological safety.”
Some urged bosses to “get rid of dead wood like Harry”.
A current worker at the US firm’s San Francisco HQ said staff are afraid to take time off, adding: “Long working weeks can lead to burnout.”
BetterUp was founded in 2013, employs 2,000 coaches and has around 300 clients, including hotel chain Hilton, Nasa, Chevron and Mars.
It insists its employees are “empowered to go above and beyond to reach their best self”.
BetterUp and the Sussexes’ Archewell organisation were asked for comment.