Only apply if you want your mental health ruined - Anonymous employee Progressive Building Society Employee Review

I joined as a placement student and enjoyed it so much that I've continued working here part-time alongside my studies. The culture is genuinely welcoming and friendly. From day one, I felt supported and a valued member of the team, not just "the placement student." Communication is excellent across all levels, which made it easy to learn and contribute from the start. Management is approachable and understanding. They were particularly supportive of balancing work with my university commitments, which was really important to me personally, ensuring I recieved the highest class of qualification. The hybrid working approach offers great flexibility, and the office itself is excellent when you're in, the location makes commuting straightforward on office days. As someone who's experienced Progressive as both a placement student and part-time employee, I can say it's a fantastic environment to start your career. You're given real responsibility and treated as a valued team member.

Honestly can't think of any major cons from my experience. It's been a genuinely positive place to work.

Initial Learning: The role provided exposure to a variety of critical systems in an IT setting. Office Location: The Belfast city centre location is central for the area. Staff: Generally very nice

1. Toxic & Hostile Management Culture The primary reason for leaving was a chronically hostile and toxic work environment, particularly within the management hierarchy. This led to an atmosphere of fear, personal attacks, and constant high-pressure scrutiny. The culture is one of micromanagement and blame rather than support and solution-finding. 2. UNSUSTAINABLE Stress & Personal Health Consequence The workload was highly chaotic and poorly organized, often involving the cleanup of failing, mission-critical projects created by management. The resulting level of acute, prolonged stress was severe and medically unsustainable, directly leading to personal health issues and necessitating my departure. The company fails to prioritise employee well-being. 3. Severe Compensation Imbalance The compensation (£25,000 for IT Support) is drastically below market rate for the required level of crisis management, technical cleanup, and extreme pressure the job demands. It is financially uncompetitive even compared to non-technical roles in the area 4. Zero Flexibility, Outdated Practices, and Unfair Policy Enforcement While many other staff members enjoyed a standard hybrid arrangement (typically 3 days remote, 2 days in office), I was the only employee in a similar role denied this flexibility and forced to adhere to a rigid, 5-day in-office requirement (via practice and expectation). This blatant disparity demonstrated a significant lack of trust and an operating mindset stuck in the 1990s, severely impacting work-life balance and incurring unnecessary financial and time costs for one employee while others benefited from a modern approach. Upon asking for WFH nearly a year into the job I was told by my line manager that since I had 'no wife, kids or responsibilities' that I was better in the office as I am a good presence there Generally looked down upon when asked take annual leave as I didn't have kids / based on my personal life Upon asking (practically begging) for WFH privileges few months later as I had issues with my housing situation. I got immediately put into a review meeting with HR and threatened with a PIP. This time it wasn't about my personal life (as that is genuine discrimination) the excuse was that i was sick a few days, made a few mistakes (sorry for being human!) - was told to 'improve my performance' whilst being given no documentation or plan on what or how to do so! Absolutely unprofessional Management would decide to go ahead with a process without telling you or going through a proper plan and when it goes wrong they offload the problem to you (iPhones)