Sociable Fun Company - Anonymous employee Ashdown Group Employee Review

I spent 18 Months working for the Ashdown Group and I can honestly say it was the most enjoyable time I've ever had working for somebody else in my 10 year+ working career. They look after you as one of the family from day one, training you in to how the company works and how to get the most out of your candidates. They hand the jobs out in a fair manner, which enables everybody to earn very good commission. The basic salary is ok, but the way the company works enables you to earn commission straight away and regularly from there on in. You also have the opportunity to get out and meet clients regularly, which again adds to the variety in the role. The social scene is very good at Ashdown, ranging from after work drinks to large social company outings. It really does have the feel of a large family working for the company. I learnt a huge amount working for Diccon and John, and it put me in good stead for setting up my own company. I would recommend this company to anybody looking to move forward in their career.

In all honesty I loved my 18 months, so I couldn't give you anything that I would really consider a con. Like all jobs, sometimes you can have frustrating days, or work later than you would ideally like, but certainly no more than I would consider standard.

Very supportive new management structure and friendly and collaborative culture. Senior management really looks after the team - COVID was extremely challenging but management ensured everyone that had consistently worked hard were kept on when most of our competitors made everyone redundant (we only lost 4 of the 25 employees due to redundancy and in all honesty it was their time to go). Lots of great project work to be involved in over the last few months - as well as additional training. Rewarded really well - lots of incentives, paid for team socials and rewards. We have all been fully paid on bonuses and commission even throughout the pandemic and we get paid on everything we make. Much more of a team feeling now the business is filled with positive high performers and a leaner, well respected management team. Everyone is recognised positively for their contribution regularly and since the pandemic the business seems to have a new, fresh energy. The last 15 months have been challenging but actually the changes it has created internally means we have a much friendlier, much more positive and much more together team. New fully flexible working from home model is amazing - has made the team alot happier and more productive.

Need to be resilient - even when candidates drop out at the last minute!! Whilst it is an SME and fairly flat structure in terms of career progression - the opportunity to enhance your skills and increase revenue is pretty infinite.