Not what it seems - Senior Leader adidas Employee Review

2.0
Nov 10, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

location of campus work life balance is very good good product discounts

Cons

A big problem with the portland hq (can't say about the herzog hq), is that its run by a group of insiders, dubbed the adidas mafia by the general populace here. The insiders generally have been with adidas for a few years, and are almost exclusively white (bonus points for being british, australian, or NZ). If you are part of the mafia, or are cozied up with key members of the mafia, then the sun will shine on your career, and you will likely move up the ranks with relatively impunity. I've seen many better deserving team members, especially african americans, asians, etc that have been let go, punt aside, or ignored in favor of those the mafia prefers to socialize with, regardless of their qualifications and skills. An example of this would be people chosen to head up merchandising that have no real merchandising experience. in recent days, some have chosen to speak out via a letter to the head of office. my guess is that there will be some lipstick put on this pig, speeches made about how much they care, a couple of people will be promoted, and the mafia will continue on its merry way. It will be interesting to see how a letter to the lead who is part of the mafia and has dated members of the mafia will lead to any real change, there are some very nice people here, but especially among the higher ranks, i've learnt there is a lot of smile at your face, stab you in the back types here looking to preserve their spot at this high school we call adidas hq.

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5.0
Feb 6, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great training and learning experience

Cons

I can't think of any cons

2.0
Sep 12, 2025
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Great place to gain experience with strong European-style benefits - Supportive, collaborative colleagues - Historically offered good work-life balance - Consistent annual cost-of-living adjustments - Maintaining DEI initiatives

Cons

The company has historically had a fun and inspiring culture that helped balance out mid-range salaries. Recently, however, the focus has shifted heavily on profit growth, which has made employee development, engagement, and culture feel less prioritized. As a result, morale and stability have been impacted. - Employee Listening Survey has not been conducted in over two years (previously annual). Leadership is not soliciting feedback. - RTO requirement increased to 4 days/week in US, even after strong results under more flexible policies - Reorgs with layoffs and limited communication threaten job security - Flatter reporting structures make growth pathways unclear - Less emphasis on ERGs and employee community initiatives - Workloads have grown due to ambitious targets and competing priorities - Career progression opportunities are limited: mostly cost-of-living increases, with few promotions or new roles - Pay bands were raised for new hires, but many existing employees with multi year role tenure have not seen same adjustments to match market levels

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