Run away as fast as you can and don’t look back, trust me - Operations Associate SwissWatchExpo Employee Review

Do not be fooled by the aesthetics or the “free lunch.” This company is a family-run mess held together by fear, intimidation, and micromanagement. • Verbal abuse is normal: Owners regularly berate staff in front of others. People have broken down crying. Panic attacks are common. There’s no support — just blame. Training is minimal, but you’ll still be humiliated for not knowing something. The “training”, if you can call it that, is just a sales person giving a 15-30 minute lecture on a random watch model or collection. No written training materials are provided. Job specific training is as good as the person giving it. Contradicting instruction is not uncommon. • Surveillance culture: They installed cameras outside the bathrooms to catch people “taking too long.” You’re highly discouraged from taking any breaks and punished for needing rest • No consistency, no safety: Praise one day, punishment the next — often for the exact same behavior. Policies are enforced randomly, based on who’s watching and who they’re targeting. Even high performers are disposable and made to feel like less than people. • Wage manipulation: Following legal changes around overtime eligibility, the company restructured roles from salary to hourly — but adjusted pay in a way that conveniently avoided any increase in total compensation. For many, this amounted to a quiet pay cut disguised as compliance. This fact was kept secret; I only found out by chance during a casual conversation with leadership. They managed to frame it as a positive, a fact that both immediately shocked and sickened me. • Illegal timekeeping: You’re explicitly told not to record your real hours. No one clocks in/out. If you stay late, skip lunch, or come in early — that time is erased. This is an illegal and immoral practice framed as an employee perk. Time theft is theft. • Toxic favoritism and targeted abuse: One employee can be sent home for being 10 minutes late — while the others who were also late face no consequence. I’ve personally witnessed an employee receiving praise for the exact same action that earned another reprimand. • Unhinged leadership: One owner is openly hostile and avoids employee contact. Another micromanages through intimidation, emotional manipulation, and delusional speeches. The CEO is physically present but socially absent. Even upper management hides information from them to avoid triggering leadership outbursts. • High turnover, very low morale: Between January 2025 and July 2025, nearly 10 people left — most within months of being hired. When the owners are out of the office, the entire atmosphere improves by a lot. That says everything. If you value your mental health, your time, or your dignity, stay far away from this place. It doesn’t matter how desperate you are — this job will break you.