Poor management - Accountant Prime Oak Employee Review

Keeping in mind nothing outweighs the costs of the negatives, most of the staff are genuinely lovely people.

From early on, it was clear that I wouldn’t stay at this company for long. The biggest issue was the management dynamic. Leadership decisions were made based on personal relationships rather than expertise, and those in key roles lacked experience in both their field and in managing a team. Instead of constructive collaboration, challenges to impractical ideas were met with hostility, making it impossible to do the job properly. Concerns raised with management went nowhere, as the structure of the company prevents any real accountability. Towards the end of my time there, I was even pressured with illegal conditions on my statutory leave, and when I pushed back, I was called "ungrateful." Creatively, this role was frustrating. I could have done great work here, but I had no control over how my photos and videos were edited. The final results were over-processed, with a cheap HDR aesthetic that I would never put in my portfolio. I now feel embarrassed about the work produced and would need to apologise to anyone who sees it, making it clear I had no say in the final edits. Beyond the internal issues, I had to be extremely cautious when booking shoots. The toxic culture extended to client relationships, and it was made very clear to me to quadruple-check with aftercare whether certain clients were happy before proceeding. A significant number of customers felt misled, and the company was highly sensitive about this, fearing further damage to their already poor Trustpilot and Google reviews. I later found out my predecessor regularly had to take breaks in the toilets to cry. That says everything about the culture here. If you're considering working here, think twice. Your expertise and creativity won’t matter if they conflict with the personal opinions of those in charge—no matter how misguided they are. Unfortunately, the marketing manager position was given to the youngest daughter of the family—someone with no prior work experience, no team management skills, and no real marketing knowledge. Her decisions were based on surface-level understanding (often from a quick YouTube video), and the worst part was her mood swings. On bad days, she could be outright bullying, making the work environment unbearable. I raised concerns with management regularly, but when the director is her sister and the owner is her father, complaints go nowhere. Toward the end, she even attempted to impose conditions on my statutory leave—which is illegal—and HR, along with the director, called me "ungrateful" for challenging it. I later found out my predecessor regularly had to take breaks in the toilets to cry. That says everything about the culture here. If you're considering working here, think twice. Your opinions and contributions won’t matter if they conflict with the family’s decisions—no matter how misguided they are. Some jobs just aren't worth the emotional strain, no matter how desperate you are for work.

Absolutely none. Run by a pack of money hungry crims

This is the worst company I've ever worked for or dealt with in the industry. Their marketing and legal costs are all they care about and it's an embarrassment to work for them. They treat their clients and their workers like absolute rubbish and take no responsibility for when things turn bad due to their own greed and incompetence. They promise the world with smart marketing to both employees, contractors as well as their clients, all of whom get 100% ripped off and the company sends in the legal department at the first sign of trouble to shut down any complaints. I've seen guys on site being abusive to customers and their neighbours, doing really shoddy work that's barely been eyeballed (nothing is every double checked properly) and just be downright rude to the people they work with and whose properties they are on. Don't bother complaining to management about anything e.g. unsafe work practices or late pay, they'll bully you away.