Fiasco Gelato

I was SO STOKED to work here, the hype is amazing, the first couple of weeks was a lot of fun. Lots of team events, lunches, tickets, and swag. They have praise channels (which feel good). Then you start seeing what's really going on. 

They celebrate the fact they pay you a living wage, however after all the mandatory overtime and weekend events, it comes out to less than minimum wage. They celebrate AMAZING vacation policies, but you can't actually get vacation because they're understaffed. The policy is if your pod is in good shape, and your team can support you, you have unlimited vacation after 1 year. However, due to staff shortages it’s impossible and they make you feel so awful for trying to to take your paid time. I was singled out in front of EVERYONE as a result. The embarrassment blows over eventually because turn over is so so so high. 

During the general hiring process, I was told at 3 months we'd negotiate a raise because everyone starts at the LOW end of the range they advertise. I was then told they don't offer raises at 3 months, it's performance-based. When asked about how to receive a raise based on performance, there is no response. Writeups were a normal part of the culture. Management is very upfront about the lack of training and time to support. Management says they have high standards but don't do their part as a company (tools, support, training) to ensure employees do well. communication regularly comes in the form of writeups. 

During my time, there was a lot of tears from others. The core clique screams love for fiasco, but treated employees super poorly. Eventually I had to leave due to the mind games and I wanted to work for a company that valued their team and hardworking employees. Should you decide to work here, ask a lot of questions.

Not even close to being a great place to work.

It is not a State of the Art facility - most of the time the internet doesn't even work, you have to kick the boardroom door in order for it to open once it has been closed all the way and the dishwasher doesn't work so 3 out of 5 days a week you are eating lunch of dirty plates.It is truly horrifying the amount of times important machines break there, or the way the company does a half fix instead of fixing things properly.  

Be prepared to work for a narcissistic CEO who believes in public shaming if you make a mistake, tries to make you pay back the company for mistakes made (this is illegal) and consistently treats you with zero respect.

The culture is a joke.  It is not even close to being an inclusive environment. The People/Culture Position is actually the position with the most turnover.

Fiasco brags about a good work/life balance but you are always expected to be on duty, even on the weekends. You are expected to work (for free) on days that Fiasco decides to be a part of (Love YYC Day, Doors Open).  They give you free coffee that day in exchange for you giving up your weekend and working your butt off.  Except it can't be called work since you don't get paid and if you don't sign up for a position, you get called out in front of everyone and shamed for it.    

Management styles are completely inconsistent. Expectations of the team and company are constantly changing so you are never really sure what is happening or what is expected of you.  

Before you consider working here - do your research and ask around about the CEO.  I was amazed at the amount of people who came up to me after I no longer worked at Fiasco and unloaded on all the awful things they knew about this place.

As a B-Corporation the company is driven by more than just profit, which makes for a really rewarding culture and workplace - it's about doing the right thing and having a community impact. 
The brand is growing fast across Canada which means things often move & change very quickly. This can be stressful to keep up but it's a tremendous opportunity to work at the company. The employee perks are great and the facility is an inspiring place to work at everyday. 

As a team member, you are given the freedom to try new things & innovate but also the freedom to fail (in creative positions more than technical ones though). Recommend you have an entrepreneurial mindset to succeed here, with a desire to grow with the company rather than just show up for a pay check. As a growing company, some of the systems 

There can be high turnover during the 90 day probationary period for new hires but this is because accountability and performance expectations are high across the board, and many people are not used to this coming in.

Fiasco is a Calgary success story. We started as a small scoop shop and are now are in over 2000 retailers across the country! It's a fast-paced work environment and no day is ever the same, which keeps things exciting and interesting! We have an awesome and very different culture than most corporate environments. If you love working hard, getting to see the fruits of your labour, growing as an individual and professional, having a say in what's done and how we do things, being creative, having fun, getting involved and giving back to your community, and eating gelato, then Fiasco might just be the perfect home for you. :)

Fiasco is not what it seems. Everything I heard about the company turned out to be nothing but poorly produced propaganda. The CEO plays favourites and the only employees who can take advantage of work from home, unlimited time off or other perks are those who worship the CEO. 

Management often belittles, openly shames and openly gossips about the performance and personal lives of those who work here. 

You will often be told to "volunteer" your time for events and other work-related circumstances. Long weekends and statutory holidays could be taken away if the CEO sees fit. 

Performance reviews consist of the CEO sending a survey to the team and asking them to call out the team's bottom performers. 

The hardest part of the job is the cliche environment. If you aren't prepared to worship at the feet of the CEO or leadership team than stay far away.

Stimulating work environment with a shaky foundation, but the guts are there the company is so close to having it figured out...

Pros: good/friendly/hardworking frontline workers, positive environment on the floor with frontline workers, opportunities for free events/ perks, challenging work duties that allowed you to have significant impact, praise from other pods about hard work, networking opportunities, vacation time policy. 

Cons: inexperienced supervisors, unprofessional conduct, zero standards/ expectations (yet plenty of opportunity to be held accountable for things no one communicates or has policies about), labour shortage, 55+ hour work weeks, old boys club, high turnover rate and poor communication/organization, won’t make it if you can’t make it in the clique.

I worked at Fiasco for 5 months. This is a very interesting place to work, to grow and to evolve. Do not go there if you are not a committed person, this place needs and want people who sincerely cares about doing the right thing. The culture is not only in words but in facts. Sometimes it is hard but working for a company with such a personality is priceless. I had never observed something like that.  TO SUM UP: If you feel frustrated at your current work because you seem to be the only one who care, you really should apply to work there.

Though everyone is friendly it is clear if you don't make it into the clique you aren't going to keep your job.
In the 3 months I was there they went through 10 employees, new and long standing employees.
They like to shame employees as a way of correction. 
They are so close to being a great company but many faults.
Group lunch is ok except if you work production and you might be too late and the food is gone or it's food you normally wouldn't eat because it is low quality

Fiasco is an amazing place to work - the core values lead all of the decisions and the feedback is transparent and in the moment. The 'eating gelato everyday' thing really never gets old - either does feeling excited to get to work everyday and unlimited vacation. The team is like a family and everyone truly cares for one another.

Worked with Fiasco for 4 years running, and still keep in contact with them to help out from time-to-time now that I no longer live in Calgary. Learned so much during my time there about myself and how to be a good employee, and made great friends along the way. Their standards are very high which causes problems for some, but if you're willing to put in the work to improve then you will get a lot out of working here :)

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