After working at HelloFresh for 5 years, I feel compelled to share the challenges I consistently faced especially in leadership roles on the production floor.
One of the biggest ongoing issues is the lack of coordination between departments. OPEX, OSF, Technical, and Maintenance all operate with their own standards and processes. These conflicting systems create confusion and inefficiencies. Team leaders are often stuck in the middle, trying to manage conflicting priorities without clear guidance or support.
The workload for team leaders is extremely heavy, with little ability to delegate. We’re expected to do everything: updating Tier 1 and Tier 2 boards, live scanning (which is unreliable and frustrating), changing tape machines, completing DILOs (Daily Checklists), and more. Instead of leading and supporting the team, we’re buried in admin tasks and operational duties that should be shared.
To make things worse, we were held responsible for assets used by our operatives like scanners, gloves, and other equipment without any proper asset tracking system in place. If someone on the line lost an item, the blame fell on the team leader. Managing over 30 people with no system to track who received which asset made it almost impossible to fairly assign responsibility or resolve issues.
Management practices are also a serious concern. Many people were promoted without proper training, and hiring often seemed based more on personal relationships being friends with someone in management or sharing the same nationality than on qualifications or performance. This kind of favoritism created a toxic and demoralizing environment.
There are hardworking people at HelloFresh who truly care about doing a good job, but the lack of structure, support, and fairness from upper management makes it very hard to succeed.
