Growing fast with lots of opportunity - Anonymous employee Customade Group Employee Review

Team I worked with were good

Management were not very supportive

Team at ground level were great and made the best of what we had.

Unfortunately, the cons outweigh the pros, which is regrettable. I spent several years at Virtuoso’s doors and witnessed the business transition from a family-driven, passionate enterprise to a more corporate, soulless operation once Customade brought out the chequebook. Growth took a backseat, while financial tightening tap-danced front and center. I understand the need to make money, but with zero growth and no funding, we were left with nothing but aging machinery and an overpriced vending machine. Corporate might argue that the profit wasn’t there, but I would counter that the profit wasn’t there due to mismanagement at the top level. Budgeting became an “imagine what we could have had” affair. We were given a budget, only to be told later it couldn’t be used — a bizarre system I’ve never encountered in any of my previous roles. I’ll be honest — I’m not a fan. Unfortunately, we ended up at what I believe was the only destination the Customade train was ever heading for: Administration Station. One week before Christmas, we all gathered to hear Will Gold (CEO) deliver his Christmas message. He read from his Customade-branded, PowerPoint-splattered script, explaining how they’d managed to secure funding for other branches of the Customade thorn bush. But for Virtuoso, the numbers just didn’t add up, and the profit we produced wasn’t quite juicy enough for those at the top. Business is business, I suppose. My two favorite takeaways from this tone-deaf carol service were, first, when Will proudly informed us that they had managed to pay us for the month of December — money we had already worked for. Apparently, this was a “rare” achievement. I can’t recall if we cheered or not, as I was overcome with tears of joy. This moment was topped only by the slight aggravation in Will’s voice when he was told, for a second time, that some employees still hadn’t been paid. Hello, he heard you the first time! A few months’ notice of the impending doom would have been nice, especially while funding was being sought, so we wouldn’t be left scrambling to find new employment during the Christmas period when most companies are closed or winding down. Ignorant or uncaring — maybe both. Anyway, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.