In the eyes of an outsider, Lululemon is typically viewed as an athletic, health-oriented company who employs individuals who are wholesome and passionate about fitness and leading a balanced lifestyle. However, former employee Elizabeth Licorish offers an alternative opinion on the culture of working at Lululemon in her article “Lululemon’s Cult Culture: Get Fit or Die Trying” (2013).

An important factor that contributes to job satisfaction and performance is the work environment itself. Before reading this article I had never heard something negative about the work culture at Lululemon, but this offered an alternative perspective into what one person believes working there truly entails. Licorish describes the atmosphere as “competitive” and “judgmental” (Licorish 1); a place where if management doesn’t personally like you, regardless of your work performance, they will find a way to get rid of you. Licorish even compares the environment to “high school” and “sorority girls” (Licorish 1).

     Competition can be healthy, it can provide workers with extrinsic motivators and help drive them to achieve better performance, however, it can also be detrimental. The murder in 2011 of Lululemon worker Brittany Norwood by co-worker Jayna Murray is an event in which competition was not beneficial, to say the least. Not to imply that this event was solely caused due to competition, as there were clearly significant psychological issues present, but competition could very well have played a role in this occurrence. Licorish states that Lululemon’s “brainwashing, bullying and manipulating” culture could be just enough to drive “psychologically” and “emotionally vulnerable” people – such as Murray – to their breaking point (Licorish 2).

Some people thrive in this type of culture and have no problem working their way to the top simply because of who they are as a person, but it is cerainly not for everyone. This situation amplifies the importance of potential employees choosing workplaces who’s morals and values align with their own. If someone is stuck in an environment that is detrimental to their mental health and happiness, they will end up dissatisfied at best… and hopefully not behind bars for murder.

Bibliography:

Licorish, Elizabeth. “Lululemon’s Cult Culture: Get Fit Or Die Trying”. The Huffington Post. N.p., 2017. Web. 24 Jan. 2017. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elizabeth-licorish/lululemon-cult-culture_b_3690378.html