Wonderful - Anonymous employee Noteworthy Employee Review

the job and people are enjoyable

the benefits all around could be better

- Excellent product range - Fantastic guides and suppliers - Lovely and dedicated team

- This is a 20th century business operating in the 21st century. - The directors have created a culture of putting people down, patronising and humiliating them in front of their peers. - The owner/MD isn't able to be challenged. Not only does this limit the growth of the business, it also means they don't benefit from the skills and experience of the team. Furthermore, when she is challenged, she retaliates often in the form of a very personal attack and gaslighting. - There is an outdated emphasis on what people look like and how they dress. Even when people have complied with the dress code, the owner will make repeated, negative remarks about people's appearance, which could be considered as bullying. - There was a big disparity in salary levels even for the same role. - When team members came forward with concerns or ideas they were dismissed for being 'too woke'. There was also the incorrect assumption that people were deliberately trying to avoid work or not capable of it. - The owner wants all employees to have 'English sounding names.' - During times of extremely high workload, the wellbeing of the team was dismissed including any ideas put forward to address concerns leading to people having to work extremely long hours on a regular basis. - The company is led with a complete lack of trust. There is a real culture of presenteeism. - Sales targets for earning bonuses were set and communicated several months into the year. In addition, targets were often increased as late as September. - There were no employee benefits at all and the holiday entitlement was below the average for the industry. - There was a real disconnect between the directors and the team plus industry norms. If people raised valid concerns, they were firmly told that they were lucky to work there and not at a company with shareholders. There was no acknowledgment that the majority of other companies have much better practices in place to safeguard and reward their employees. - Fam trips were only provided for senior members of the team and, even then, inconsistently. - A lack of employee engagement or empowerment. - A lack of transparency on criteria for progression. - A real tendency to promise people pay rises and progression during the interview process, and then not follow through. - A discriminatory attitude towards employees who had babies. - Reluctance to provide increased flexibility even to those who had medical grounds. - A culture of extreme micromanagement. - Often the directors failed to think through their ideas properly or consult with anyone in the team which led to duplication and/or increased workload for other people. - Terrible meeting etiquette with meetings frequently being moved, scheduled or cancelled at the last minute. No respect for people's time. - Although people are told 'well done' frequently, it isn't done intentionally or meaningfully. When real praise is given, it's quickly followed up by a story about how the owner's achievements were better or her trying to take credit for what you've done. - No acknowledgement or weight given for people's prior experience. - There was an unnecessary urgency placed on every task and project, a complete lack of ability to prioritise based on business need. - When people left the company, this was taken very personally. Tendency for people to be bad mouthed after leaving. - A very inward looking company....they don't think they can learn anything from other companies. - There is an unmoving belief that there is one right way to do anything. There is no openness to allowing people to explore a different approach even if it will accomplish the same result. - Poor communication - Often progression is only given upon an employee threatening to leave. - Even the most basic ways of demonstrating appreciation for the team were disregarded. For example, there was no Christmas party for the team. They hosted a party for suppliers but the team had to be on duty and be good hosts, they couldn't relax and enjoy themselves.