HUGO BOSS reviews

3.6

65% would recommend to a friend

(1,356 total reviews)
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Daniel Grieder

76% approve of CEO

52% positive business outlook

HUGO BOSS has an employee rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 1,356 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The HUGO BOSS employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Ventas al mayoreo y al menudeo industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

1K reviews
2.0
Mar 4, 2016

Head Office

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Generous clothing allowance/discount Good name to have on your CV

Cons

In my first interview, I specifically asked the question "is there room for progression?" where I was told instantly "Yes of course!"..this was in fact a lie. I was then later told after demanding an exit interview that there was only progression "horizontally", so switching departments. Why would someone from HR move to Visual Merchandising? This made no sense. I worked extremely hard in my duration at Hugo Boss, I ensured work was always done and I always hit my deadlines. A lot of the times I stayed late to ensure work was done, got ZERO recognition for it. A lot of the managers in my department were on £50k plus, I wasn't even on HALF of that and my responsibilities were increasing by the month. Everyone around me got appraisals and bonuses and pay increases, I remained on the same salary. Eventually after a year and a half of being there, it began to get me down. I mentioned to my manager at the time how unhappy I was with my salary, she shrugged it off until she began to see me cry in the toilets. By pure luck, I got a new job. When I handed in my notice, it wasn't taken very well by managers and Directors. I had to TRAIN my manager to do my job. I had 3 weeks notice, but my manager cut my notice shorter and said I can go in a week. I wasn't even invited to go to the Christmas Party (I left end of Nov and Christmas party was Dec) so I was insulted on multiple levels. I demanded an exit interview on my last day, they said I would never be able to get the salary I was wishing for. When I told them the new company I was joining had offered me more than what I was initially looking for, they were all speechless. They under rate their staff, especially Administrators/Assistants etc and so these people are massively underpaid, they just stick to this company because they're enticed with free bags and clothes (which is later on taxed to the employee any way, so not "free).

1.0
Jan 25, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Training is getting better for store managers/assistant managers. Good discount on clothing. Ok-ish uniform allowance. Store Managers are lovely and welcoming.

Cons

Do not work here if you want a good work/life balance. Benefits are few and far between - have to fight for things. Negative attitude from Area Managers. It is very difficult to shield your staff from your area managers negativity and bad people skills. Incredibly bad pay for sales advisors working for a 'premium' company - despite commission structure, what they ask of you, you will not get the same back. Very political with progression and opportunities. They have very clear favourites.

1.0
May 24, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Not many. 1% commission on personal sales. 65% personal discount. 50% if it’s for a friend. The clothes are expensive so still be prepared to cough up!

Cons

Horrible working environment. Went there at a manager level. During the 10 weeks I spent there I was at 3 stores in which the common feeling was of fed-up staff that couldn’t wait to leave. The high staff turnover is proof of the sorry conditions they are under. At least 20 people from these 3 stores left the Company while I was there. I found Hugo Boss’ treatment of their staff unnecessarily harsh and over demanding, in which the micro-management made them feel as if they were being observed all the time. They were. Being a German company one can only wonder where they got that from. -This company is obsessed with UPT. This KPI isn’t used to track the performance of the employee but used as a stick to hit them at every opportunity. Such is the sick emphasis on UPT, that floor staff is willing to miss on personal commission by putting 1 item sales under an undefined number on the till, so that they keep their UPT high and avoid being harassed by their line manager. The haste for keeping a high UPT is translated into dirty tricks by store management, like only allowing employees to make staff purchases of 2+ items, to turn away customers looking to return items using silly excuses/lies such as: “items must be returned to the store it was originally bought from” or “we can’t do refunds today because the system is down”. Every week’s conference call includes a section of determining which employees must be put into a Performance Improvement Plan or else, as having a UPT of less than 2 is “completely unacceptable”. The unnecessary pressure staff is put under makes a common occurrence to find employees crying and breaking down due to stress. -Stores constantly under staffed, so be prepared to do 10-12 days on a row. -Rotas and days off changed with little or no notice. -Bare minimum legal holidays entitlement. These don’t roll over to next year. So use it or lose it. Bear in mind that there are many restrictions on when and how long anyone can be off. And I’m not talking about sale/busy periods. -Salaries are rock bottom low. Probably the lowest I’ve known from a Premium/Luxury brand. -No sick pay -No company maternity leave. Only government statuary maternity pay -Bare minimum pension contribution by the Company (2%), your salary sacrifice is 3%. For thriving in this company, you need to be the kind of person that will not see staff as people but as a commodity; the kind that thinks that harshness and ruthlessness are signals of good management and leadership. That kind of outdated management that some parts of the industry have moved on from long time ago. If you aren’t that kind of person already, it is definitely someone you don’t want to become.

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HUGO BOSS Response
6y
Dear former employee, Thank you very much for your feedback here on Glassdoor. As we attach great importance to the well- being and satisfaction of our employees and fair and respectful treatment belongs to our core values, we are deeply sorry you have gained other experiences. We take your feedback very seriously and would appreciate it if you could provide more details to recruiting@hugoboss.com. Thank you very much. Your HUGO BOSS Employer Branding Team
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