Yesterday’s open letter to BrewDog from past employees broke my heart.

BrewDog is a business that I have heralded for many years. I love how they have challenged the beer category, ripped up the rule book when it comes to marketing and were using their brand as a means to making a positive difference in the world.

But all is not as it seems on the surface.

The letter, an excerpt pasted below, (you can read the full letter here), outlines a very different picture of the company. The lived experience of past employees calls out a culture built on fear, burn out and people being forced to compromise their personal integrity. It talks about a toxic culture of misogamy and oneupmanship focused solely on profit ahead of everything else. It talks of contradictions in policies and a blind eye being turned to environmental and supply chain inadequacies in favour of the ‘story’. The letter is a stark contrast to the philosophies and values that the business talks about on a daily basis.

Credit: An open letter to BrewDog, Punks With Purpose (@PunksWPurpose

BrewDog CEO James Watts has responded, not defending any of the allegations, but instead, listen learn and act. This is the right response, but the real test will the significant action that follows.

The BrewDog example is not a standalone case, and it is likely that we will start hearing about many more. In 2020, the world woke up. People were forced to slow down, reflect and as a result, there has been a mass evaluation of what people want and expect from an employer. Companies trying to ‘purpose wash’ are being called out for contradictions, lip service and lack of follow-through. This does not only apply in an employee/employer context, but for customers purchasing products too. If you are not who and what you claim, you will be found out and called out.

Your purpose and your values are not your marketing strategy or something that you roll out at a job interview. They are your DNA, your lifeblood, they what makes you unique and dictate how you show up and behave. If you stand for community, this needs to filter through into your supply chain, your employee policies, your consideration from the community at large. . You do not have to be perfect, no one ever is, but you need to take action and be accountable and transparent to the journey that you are on and the path that you are taking.

I will be watching BrewDog with bated breath. They are a business that I believe has the potential to lead the change and prove that business can and should be a force for good, but they have a lot of hard reflection and hard work to do.

What are your thoughts, I would love to know?

BrewDog, I’m not angry, i’m so disappointed

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