Pros
The people who work for RH are some of the most passionate folks I've ever had the pleasure of working with. Some of the products are not just fashionable, but cool--the materials' stories, the designers, and floor designs really are some of the best. If you can afford it, your employee discount can't be beat. Interior designers can be some of the most innovative and eccentric folks you'll ever get to know. Working with designers never grew old. This made everyday experiences so rewarding!
Cons
From a culture perspective: Lavish galas for upper management were reframed as leadership retreats, and footage from these galas was modified to create charismatic films that store associates were mandated to watch. These involved uncomfortable parodies of real songs used as praise music about the RH brand, complete with upper managers singing along, waving their arms, and crying to the music in a church revival-like setting. In one unforgettable film, John Lennon footage used for "We Are the World" was dubbed over to make it appear that Lennon was endorsing the brand through song and lyrics; this was juxtaposed with images of the RH CEO and furniture. Everyone had to carry core values cards, and we had to meditate on them and were required, daily, to share personal reflections with management. Sacrificial behavior (working extra off-the-clock when revenue was tight) was justified through core values language, e.g. "The right people would do it." Overall, the fixation upon the core values and the CEO created a cult-like work environment. From a business perspective: The fixation on revenue overemphasizes individual accountability over brand performance. Incentives for performance-to-goal for salespeople/designers often relied on chance rather than effort. This was reflected in salary structure and performance appraisals, creating inequity and competition, as we were force-ranked against each other. High profit margin on furniture does not trickle down to employees. Staff are grossly underpaid. Turnover is high as a result.