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Hays plc
2.6 of 5 37 reviews
www.haysplc.com London, United Kingdom 5000+ Employees

Hays plc Reviews

Updated May 17, 2013

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2.6 37 reviews

                             

43% Approve of the CEO

Hays plc CEO Alistair R. Cox

Alistair R. Cox

(14 ratings)

32% of employees recommend this company to a friend
37 Employee Reviews
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No longer a market leader

Business Manager (Former Employee)
Peterborough, England (UK)

I worked at Hays plc

ProsEveryone knows Hays and they are an established player in recruitment

ConsHays is stuck in the past with its pricing and customer and candidate development

Advice to Senior ManagementThe management don't know how to do the job and are changing and moving the goalposts all the time, hence high staff turnover

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

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Fun but stingy and secretive

Anonymous Employee (Former Employee)
Sydney (Australia)

I worked at Hays plc

Prosworking with fun dynamic people

Consbad pay and bad biscuits and lack or respect for support staff

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

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Employee managment, not great

Anonymous Employee (Current Employee)
London, England (UK)

I have been working at Hays plc

ProsFew exceptional people work there

ConsHayspharma: consultants afraid of competition and hardwork.
Manipulation and underhand work prevelant at all levels

Advice to Senior ManagementComment directed to Hayspharma, Meritrocracy needed.
Need to make a huge efforts in promoting professional behavious toward colleagues and candidates

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

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Battery Farm

Senior Consultant (Former Employee)
Belfast, Northern Ireland (UK)

I worked at Hays plc

ProsGood benefits, similarly minded colleagues, database excellent.

ConsPoor Management, unfair promotions, general feeling of depression.

Advice to Senior ManagementBe more open minded, ensure that skill is identified and used appropriately - less micro management.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

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Global reaching organisation

Anonymous Employee (Former Employee)
Hong Kong (Hong Kong)

I worked at Hays plc

ProsBrand, global capability, research, money, teams, globalization, recruitment specialists, internal systems, understanding of markets, management capability, offices across china and asia.

ConsAbility for management to understand what the consultants want is not a priority for the organisation. very focussed on profit.

Advice to Senior ManagementDon't necessarily make such large changes in cut backs when markets down turn, uphold promises and continually invest in people to improve overall staff retention.

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1 person found this helpful  

Initially positive as company invest heavily in training, but there is a glass ceiling for those who dont do politics

Manager and Recruitment Consultant (Former Employee)

I worked at Hays plc

ProsProfessional blue chip organisation with a strong brand presence, e.g. largest recruitment company in the UK. Highly focused on performance and results with positive competition amongst consultants and offices.

ConsAfter the credit crunch in 2008 Hays seemed to struggle to adjust swiftly to the different market place and were inflexible in allocating people to areas where there were still business opportunities. Also rather than make people redundant they set ridiculous targets backed up by letters to falsely performance management people out of the business. Although people were judged by results it was clear that some people were not promoted for any reason other than playing politics.

Advice to Senior ManagementRecruitment is a people focused business and the database is just a tool, it will never replace the personal touch of understanding job briefs and people's career aspirations. It seemed that more energy and resources were put into the new system than on the people who were using it.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

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Completely unprofessional company

Waste of My Time (Former Employee)

I worked at Hays plc

ProsIf you need a job and can't find anything else, work here. Pay is acceptable if you're willing to work long hours and give up a personal life.

ConsWhere to start? It's easier to just say this company is awful in every respect. Outdated business approach, useless management that will hinder your every good idea.

Advice to Senior ManagementYour company needs a complete overhaul. A modern business model and a refresher course in business ethics would be a good start.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

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Nice to start, not to stay

Recruitment Consultant (Former Employee)
Birmingham, England (UK)

I worked at Hays plc

ProsBig brand
Good way to start a career

ConsPoor careers reviews
Not great benefits

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Not a pleasant or dynamic place to work, strong brand recognition from a career building perspective.

Anonymous Employee (Former Employee)
Shanghai, Shanghai (China)

I worked at Hays plc

ProsBrand recognition, ability to earn,

ConsSenior management rarily come from any external business so their ability to think 'outside the box' is shocking. Transparency in communication is terrible and many senior level staff think they are really 'playing the game', however based on the culture and organisational design of their business they actively support individuality, and do not support team work. Should you choose to work at Hays expect to work on your own and have others actively work against you. A very dry, British business.

Advice to Senior ManagementHire some senior staff from other organisations. With Alistair coming into the business there is the potential for change, however I think he's been brought in to boost stock prices and sell the place . . . .

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

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employer review

Anonymous Employee (Current Employee)

I have been working at Hays plc

Prosrespect and freedom to pursue specialism

Consrelatively ltd products and solutions

Advice to Senior Managementltd products and solutions

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