9 Reasons Why Working At Runtastic Sucks

It is official: Runtastic has been awarded with a Great Place to Work badge once again. Sounds awesome, right?! But let’s be honest, that’s old news. Here’s the one and only truth about what working at Runtastic is REALLY like, and why you should think twice before joining us.

1. Your colleagues will become part of your family
The first warning sign should be the previous posts in this blog category: team events, company trips and people hanging out with each other during work and after work – even on weekends!

Your aunt might get upset when you want to turn down the invitation to her 75th birthday party, because you unfortunately have the opportunity to travel to Croatia for the weekend… not for serious business, just for fun – all expenses paid.

2. You will always feel like a student
Our industry is fast-paced, and we don’t do things because “that’s the way we’ve always done it.” We love to experiment with ways we’ve NEVER tried before. Our ways change all the time, which requires us to adapt quickly and keep ourselves up-to-date all the time.

Visiting conferences like Google I/O or WWDC does sound cool at first. But when you listen to all these industry-leading speakers and meet like-minded experts from all over the world, you’ll feel like you’re back in school. Promise.

3. You will start dreaming in English
Don’t they speak German in Austria? In fact, it’s Austrian (with a variety of dialects that nobody can actually understand), and it really does not matter at Runtastic. With 30+ nations among the team, we decided to switch to English as a company language. All written communication, all presentations and events are held in English. It’s truly annoying when you come home from work at night and try to share anecdotes from your work day… and simply cannot think of a relevant term in your native language!

4. Your friends will constantly ask you if you are actually working
Every time people visit the office, they see a bunch of guys in adidas sneakers bumming around in our social areas. While you know they are working hard (as they are discussing new ideas, having stand-ups or simply choosing a different workplace for the day), it seems as if they are just hanging out. This usually leads to us having to explain that they are actually contributing to the company’s vision that very moment.

In addition, your close ones usually expect you to come home from work and complain about this and that, or looking stressed and bummed out from a crazy day. As you’ve had fun with the majority of your tasks all day, chances are that you have nothing to whine about or still look fresh and relaxed. No pity for you!

5. Your career path might not be straight up
Start as an intern, evolve into a mid manager and eventually be part of the leadership team. It is possible, but to be honest – don’t plan your career step-by-step. Runtastic is growing and constantly evolving: today we do it this way, the next day we try out another. Organizational changes are common (yet often unexpected), and chances are you’ll end up in a different department or role than you had originally anticipated. If you’re flexible and you like to try out new things, that’s fine, but if you’d like to climb up the ladder straight away, you’re better off in a consulting company!

6. You have to get up early to catch breakfast
Every other Wednesday, Runtastic treats you to breakfast. Sounds nice, right?! Well actually this is really tough because you’ll have to get up early (despite the flexible working hours) to make it on time… if you show up late (i.e. at 08:05 a.m.), chances are that people are already fighting over the Nutella and that the best seats are already taken. If you’re on good terms with your team members, they might save you a piece of freshly-delivered bread.

7. You will spend all your money on travelling
Austria is small and not so famous (unless you are really into The Sound of Music). However, it’s rather easy and affordable to visit various sights and calm places in the mountains for day or weekend trips throughout the country and the continent.

Once you’ve joined our team, your Facebook News Feed will be filled with pictures of your colleagues spending weekends in Prague, Budapest, Milan or by the Croatian sea… which will make you jealous (if you decide to save your money) or broke (if you decide to join them on the next trip).

8. You will have to start eating salad
It’s not all about being healthy at Runtastic… but actually it is. Even though the mall, in which the office is located, provides a lot of cheap junk food, you will see most Runtastics running around with their Tupperware full of organic healthy stuff. If you are chatty, they might even tell you how to prepare a healthy meal or make you try one. Ugh.

9. You will get into fitness
Not every Runtastic is as crazy as Jonathan, who gave up sugar for a month and runs faster than the average tram. However, as we try out our products, eventually you might feel like downloading one or more of our apps. Chances are that you will be pushed into participating in a lunch pump or an after-work yoga session, and eventually will fall for it.
Worst of all, if you really don’t want to have anything to do with our fitness apps, you might still have to sign up for beating our CFO in Dodge Ball.

To cut this VERY long story short: Runtastic is not for everyone. But if you can handle the above, you’re gonna be stuck for good.

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