Fun place to work but high staff turnover - Finance Design Council Employee Review

3.0
May 23, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I met some really nice people during my time at Design Council. The staff were passionate about their projects, and the office was in a lovely Islington location.

Cons

The staff turnover was the highest I've ever seen in an organisation. Someone seemed to be leaving at least once a fortnight, and only 50 people work there. It's also difficult to articulate exactly what the organisation does, and they have suffered with a lack of strategic direction. As a result they haven't been able to make themselves more commercially competitive in the marketplace which is a concern as their government grant has reduced significantly over the years. Decision making at senior level took forever sometimes and commercial opportunities were missed, because some of them seemed to be running around the country doing everything themselves or waffling on about design rather than delegating effectively.

Explore other reviews about Design Council

1.0
Sep 27, 2024
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Some lovely colleagues. Reasonably flexible hybrid working. Nice central office.

Cons

There was a culture of bullying, gaslighting and just pure unkindness. This was from the top down as the executive put a lot of pressure on other colleagues and allegations of bullying were never dealt with at the top. There was no strategy behind the tagline ‘design for planet’ and everything felt like looks were more important than substance. There were a lot of mental health, stress and wellbeing issues suffered by my colleagues during my time there. CEO more concerned with cultivating her own personal brand than with staff.

2.0
Nov 6, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- some nice people who care and work hard - potential for interesting varied projects

Cons

- very poor line management - awkward, patronising and hierarchical environment

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All