#‘Super-positive Lululemon robot:’ Staff call workplace ‘toxic’

Apparel retailer Lululemon has a cult following — and a disturbingly “cult-like” work environment, too, staffers say. 

More than a dozen current and former employees (all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity) of the wellness brand have revealed to Insider that Lululemon’s company culture puts an intense amount of pressure on employees to be peppy and fall into line with the brand’s ideals. 

“On the outside looking in, Lululemon seems really kind and really inclusive, as long as who you are includes what they want you to be,” Emma, a former part-time sales associate at a Lululemon store in Canada, told the publication of her two months working for the company in 2018. In her brief time as a Lululemon “educator” on the sales floor, Emma said she was subjected to regular meetings with her manager about her apparent failure to be sufficiently peppy. “Often, I just came home crying,” she said. 

The constant negative feedback continued and her mental health began to decline. Feeling like she “couldn’t be happy enough to work,” she quit. 

Emma’s feelings that Lululemon’s work environment is one of “toxic positivity” was echoed by others. 

“I think they definitely don’t appreciate all types of personalities,” said Erin, an Asian-American woman who used to work at a Minnesota Lululemon store. “And it’s harder for minorities to feel like they have a voice during training when they’re constantly being talked over.”

Lululemon did not respond to The Post’s request for comment. 

The types of “personalities” that were appreciated were consistently “white, able-bodied, for the most part fit-looking” women, added a former Washington metro area Lululemon store worker named Amy. 

Many also cited an exercise called “clearing” in which managers have staff together to discuss any issues they have before the start of their shifts. 

“Maybe you had a really bad day, something bad happened with your boyfriend or with a parent or whatever — you would clear that in a clearing,” Amy explained. “And then after clearing that, you are expected to just kind of bounce back as this idealized, superpositive Lululemon robot.”

In a statement to The Post, Lululemon said that “the claims in the Insider article are not consistent with the culture and values of Lululemon today.”

Furthermore, “Lululemon is committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and positive work environment, and we welcome and encourage employee dialogue and feedback. If anyone at Lululemon has a negative experience, we have several ways for employees to share their concerns and feedback, including through anonymous channels. We take feedback like this seriously, reviewing every claim and taking appropriate action.”