Prince Harry’s BetterUp has suffered a flurry of fresh complaints from staff and customers but the exiled royal won’t be walking away from his reputed £1million salary.
One former employee for the mental wellness firm has now compared bosses at the firm to gangsters who ‘exploit’ their staff in a complaint made in the run-up to Christmas.
‘If you’re not in, you’re out. Lots of turnover among key positions. Lots of micromanagement and shaming. Wish this company practiced what they preached’, the whistleblower said.
While a current sales rep slammed the ‘bad guys’ at the top of BetterUp in a scathing one-star December review also on respected workplace transparency website Glassdoor.
While one customer said in a one-star TrustPilot review posted on New Year’s Day that he had ‘signed up, then cancelled’ when he saw ‘Prince Harry is involved’.
‘I can’t understand why someone with such a toxic relationship with his and his wife’s own family could have anything to do with a mental health app’, he said. Another wrote: ‘Pricing model appears very predatory. Also, Prince Harry’s involvement is not appealing to me’.
The Duke of Sussex is under pressure to speak out amid growing unease about working practices at the mental health firm where he is Chief Impact Officer and in charge of ‘guiding the company’s social mission’.
But royal commentator Tom Bower told MailOnline today: ‘I’m sure he won’t walk away because BetterUp is good for his profile and income’.
The Duke of Sussex has held the role of chief impact officer at the US coaching and mental health firm, BetterUp since 2021. Some staff claim it earns him £1million-a-year
Harry’s job at BetterUp was one of the first he secured after emigrating with Meghan in 2020 after they quit as frontline royals and seek financial independence
Past and present BetterUp staff continue to leave negative reviews about working for the US mental health firm
BetterUp did not respond to a request to comment on the complaints and Prince Harry’s future.
MailOnline can also reveal that complaints about conditions are not limited to BetterUp, with one youth worker at Harry’s African charity Sentebale accusing bosses of not looking after staff.
Sentebele was co-founded in 2006 by Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to ensure the most vulnerable children in Lesotho are cared for.
But in a comment on Glassdoor, which publishes company ratings by employees with the aim of increasing workplace transparency, a youth health worker called Sentebale ‘underminers’.
The anonymous employee, who worked there as a contractor, said earlier this year that the job had been a ‘good learning curve’ but added worryingly that ‘field workers are not given enough to survive’.
Despite this worrying claim, he game Sentebale a three-star out of five rating.
Sentebale did not respond to a request to comment.
Behind the scenes there have been major changes going on at the organisation.
Richard Miller has quit as chief executive of Sentebale after five years in the role.
His departure in the first week of December followed that of Baroness Chalker, the overseas development minister, who stepped down as a director in November.
Potential BetterUp customers have said they have been ‘put off’ signing up because of Harry’s seven-figure salary – and disquiet from many staff – despite BetterUp offering up to a third off for new and existing customers to sign up in 2025.
Since this website revealed on Boxing Day that past and present BetterUp employees described it as a ‘toxic train wreck’ and ‘psychologically unsafe place to work’, more complaints have rolled in, including over the Christmas period.
BetterUp has been offering new customers 30 per cent off in what experts claimed was a desperate fire sale.
The California-based firm, described as ‘life coach Tinder for millennials’, recently sent out emails to former and prospective clients seeking business and offering them a cut price.
They are also on the lookout for new staff as it emerged that past and present coaches laid into the firm.
But in a warning to those considering a job there, one current employee of three years said on Glassdoor: ‘Employees who raise concerns or suggest solutions often face alienation, with the company’s “high-impact behaviours” weaponised against them.
‘Rather than addressing real issues, the executive team prioritizes maintaining control. If you’re seeking a workplace that fosters career growth, meaningful work, and psychological safety, consider looking elsewhere. BetterUp may not be the right fit for you’.
A BetterUp coach of five years said: This business is built on the backs of highly qualified coaches. And those coaches feel disrespected and under compensated.
‘One former employee, who worked in San Francisco for three years said: There is an OG [original gangster] leadership club that runs this place’.
Another long-term employee said: ‘Remember in Pinocchio when self-profiting bad guys gave little kids a bunch of beer and cigars? The sweet, goofy kids turned into donkeys/jack-a’s, angrily. The bad guy laughs because he knows he’ll have a new, endless batch of innocent kids to exploit again – by tomorrow.
‘The kids want to matter and not have a target on their backs, so they play along with the games power wants to play.
‘After doing this for 10 years, it’s no wonder leaders are walking on eggshells with execs, employees bucking the system as a result. Every meeting is a fire drill.
‘The most difficult part of my job is over-explaining, re-explaining, and corralling leaders to understand why they should invest in industry-standard basics’.
Complaints have spread to customer review company Trustpilot in recent weeks
Meghan and Harry kiss at a polo event to raise money for his charity Sentebale
But a Glassdoor review from a Sentebale contractor claims ‘field workers are not given enough to survive’
Harry’s role at mental health firm BetterUp is to ‘advocate for mental fitness’ and ‘guide the company’s social mission’.
He is also a vocal champion for its app, described as ‘life coach Tinder for millennials’, revealing that he used it to find his own ‘truly awesome’ mental health trainer when he joined in 2021 post-Megxit.
But MailOnline revealed on Boxing Day that past and present employees suggest there is much work to be done after describing the US-based business as a ‘toxic train wreck’ and ‘psychologically unsafe place to work’ where ‘everyone is uncomfortable and living in fear’.
There are also choice words for BetterUp’s ‘elitist club of leaders’, who according to one worker ‘have no moral compass’ and ‘lack self awareness’.
And a company chief executive who used their services recently vowed never to use them again, claiming: ‘I had concerns about the confidentiality of my discussions and privacy during coaching calls with coaches’.
Another described the sales team as ‘predatory’. ‘I am glad I backed out because I read reviews by former employees and it didn’t look good and also highlighted the poor pay pressure to sell and lay offs and that they pay Prince Harry over a million dollars a year’, they said.
Since 2021 the Duke of Sussex has been working as ‘Chief Impact Officer’ at the US-based professional coaching and mental health app.
He has made regular appearances for the company on stage and on livestreams over the past three years, including last month with a former NBA star and friend of Kobe Bryant to discuss mental fitness and helping people ‘find their flow’.
Harry has also been a visitor to its buildings in San Francisco, California, and Austin in Texas, where staff have office dogs to pet, yoga studios, and armchairs to unwind in during their working day..
BetterUp has a 2.8 out of five stars rating on the site based on more than 600 reviews. Just 35% of people would recommend working there to a friend.
But while around half of the most recent reviews are one or two stars, there are some three, four and five star reviews.
The most recent one said: ‘Nothing bad to report right now’. Another said: ‘It is a great place to work if you are looking to take ownership over your career, are a go-getter and looking to learn more about yourself and how you work’.
There are complaints about ‘too much ego at the top’ – and staff under pressure to hit targets.
In October a former employee called BetterUp a ‘literal circus’.
In September one current employee called the firm a ‘toxic train wreck’. ‘You work your a** off but if you’re not in the inner circle, good luck to you’, they said.
Less than glowing Glassdoor recent reviews by past and present employees of BetterUp in recent months
BetterUp is a place ‘where people dry up and shrivel’, one former account manager said in August,
‘I am not saying this figuratively. Literally every person at BetterUp hates their job’.
In the same month a current account manager said: ‘Their existence is based on lies, no moral compass and an elitist club of leaders (if you can even call them that) that lack self awareness’.
The start-up’s co-founder and CEO Alexi Robichaux has repeatedly praised Harry, citing his ‘incredible attitude’ and claiming he has been ‘energised’ by Harry’s ‘model of inspiration and impact through action’.
The Prince has settled into his role at the company, which claims to use artificial intelligence to deliver personalised coaching sessions designed to nourish ‘the whole person’.
BetterUp, founded in 2013, provides professional coaching, counselling and mentorship to your mobile phone, and is one of a handful of apps which promise to improve employee happiness, retention and – all importantly – productivity, through counselling and behavioural psychology.
Corporate access to the app, including virtual classes and coaching sessions, reportedly costs around £2,600 per person for 12 months’ membership.
Harry himself has given the app his royal seal of approval, describing how he has found working with a ‘truly awesome coach’ to be ‘invaluable’.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .