Mental health firm paying Prince Harry ‘£1m salary’ is condemned by staff as a ‘toxic train wreck’ and ‘psychologically unsafe place to work’ where ‘everyone is living in fear’

Prince Harry’s role at BetterUp in mental health is to “advocate for mental fitness” and “guide the company’s social mission.”

The Duke of Sussex is also a vocal champion for his app, described as ‘life coach Tinder for millennials’, revealing he used it to find his own ‘really amazing’ mental health trainer when he joined in 2021 after Megxit .

But former and current employees suggest there is still much work to be done after describing the US company as a “toxic train wreck” and a “psychologically unsafe place to work” where “everyone feels uncomfortable and lives in fear”.

There are also nice words for BetterUp’s “elite club of leaders,” who, according to one employee, “have no moral compass” and “lack self-awareness.”

And a company CEO who recently used their services vowed never to use them again, claiming, “I was concerned about the confidentiality of my conversations and privacy during coaching conversations with coaches.”

Another described the sales team as “predatory.” “I’m glad I withdrew because I read reviews from former employees that didn’t look good and also highlighted the poor wage pressure to sell and fire and that they pay Prince Harry over a million dollars a year,” they said.

As of 2021, the Duke of Sussex has been working as ‘Chief Impact Officer’ at the US-based professional coaching and mental health app.

He has regularly appeared for the company on stage and in 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 the buildings in San Francisco, California, and Austin, Texas, where staff have office dogs to pet, yoga studios and armchairs to relax in during their workday.

Despite these attributes, however, several employees past and present have been critical of Glassdoor, which publishes company ratings and employee reviews with the aim of increasing transparency in the workplace.

BetterUp has a 2.8 out of five star rating on the site, based on more than 600 reviews. Only 35% of people would recommend working there to a friend.

There are complaints about ‘too much ego at the top’ – and staff under pressure to meet targets.

The most recent review is 5 stars from five days ago, with an existing account manager saying it’s a ‘great place to work’.

But in October, a former employee called BetterUp a “literal circus.”

‘The company is a mess. The executive leadership is so distant from everyone else, engaging in strange excursions and expenses, constantly changing strategies and shaking up team functions.

‘As others have said, there is widespread cronyism in which select employees can use the company as an open playground: bypass any process, be placed in multiple VP roles within organizations regardless of qualification, and escalate (often via text ) to the founders as soon as they don’t get what they want, and they never run the risk of layoffs. This often results in one person being able to single-handedly derail an organization-wide project at a company with more than 700 people.”

In September, a current employee called the company a “toxic train wreck.” “You work your butt off, but if you’re not in the inner circle, good luck,” they said.

BetterUp is a place “where people dry up and shrivel up,” a former account manager said in August:

‘I’m not saying this figuratively. Literally everyone 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 elite club of leaders (if you can call them that) who have no self-awareness’.

Another person who reviewed working for the company said: ‘It’s keeping your head down…do your job, don’t get on anyone’s bad side. No one will go to HR because HR is close to the leaders.

‘Sect-like facade management gone out of hand. Toxicity. Everyone for themselves High burnout,” reads another review.

MailOnline has asked BetterUp for comment.

The startup’s co-founder and CEO Alexi Robichaux has repeatedly praised Harry, citing his “incredible attitude” and claiming he was “energized” 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 personalized coaching sessions designed to nurture ‘the whole person’.

The company’s app – called ‘life coaching Tinder for millennials’ – focuses on performance and wellbeing at work and is designed primarily for business use as an employee benefit.

Founded in 2013, BetterUp offers professional coaching, counseling and mentorship on your mobile phone, and is one of the few apps that promise to improve employee happiness, retention and – most importantly – productivity through counseling and behavioral psychology.

Co-founder and CEO Robichaux, a former Walt Disney employee and graduate of the University of Southern California, says he is on a mission to turn self-improvement into a science and “improve the human condition.”

The network of thousands of coaches reportedly serves more than 100,000 members and offers coaching services to its own staff, including lectures on “how to beat burnout” and “build mental fitness.” There are sessions on ‘taking bold action for inclusive leadership’ and what you need to do if you want to ‘be your best’.

According to proprietary outcome studies, the confidential, on-demand coaching sessions can reduce stress by 24 percent. Some companies, BetterUp says, reported performance improvements of up to 26 percent and a 15 percent reduction in burnout.

All this comes at a high price for companies.

Business access to the app, including virtual classes and coaching sessions, reportedly costs around £2,600 per person for a 12-month membership.

Harry himself has given the app his royal approval, describing how he found working with a ‘truly great coach’ to be ‘invaluable’.

He said his coach had given him “sound advice” and “a new perspective” and, when explaining why he joined BetterUp, he added that “focusing on and prioritizing our mental fitness unlocks potential and opportunities that we never knew we had it in us’.

The Duke of Sussex has held the role of Chief Impact Officer at US coaching and mental health company BetterUp since 2021 and recently teamed up with ex-NBA player Pau Gasol’s foundation to help people ‘find their flow’.

At an event in October, Harry defined “flow” as a state of “complete focus and absorption in an activity” that leads you to “peak performance, fulfillment and greater well-being.”

In the extensive interview, Gasol, a two-time LA Lakers champion and three-time Olympic medalist, told the royal family how he finds his own flow.

Gasol claimed that “flow” for him meant gaining a “sense of direction, a sense of purpose.”

He continued, “You really don’t think about the outcome [of a game]. [Instead you are] just fully present and embracing that moment.

‘You’re playing for something bigger. You feel the responsibility but also the privilege. It [flow] is the moment of being fully present.’