Hays Reviews

Pros

The air you breath in the office is free

Cons

Hay's offices's are set up like a call center. Row's of desks with computers where you slave away under the watchful and judgmental eye of management. They encourage you to "'make mistakes while you're learning" but then criticize and critique you for doing so. One of the main problems is that management genuinely believes they are beyond reproach and have a mentality of working against you, rather than with you. Worker's are often critiqued and belittled which only helps to zap any motivation there might be. Monthly meeting's are held to try and rally the troops by awarding dollar store trophies to top performers while reminding everyone that "we can and should all do better." There are very few redeeming qualities that are accompanied with working at Hays. Brutal pay that's barely survivable. Complex commission structure that is created to squeeze every last dollar out of its workers while making the false promise of "one day you will move up." Realistically only a handful ever do. Hay's has a lot of potential, however, managements stubborn unwillingness to realize their own shortcomings are the problem with a lot of the issues will eventually lead to their demise.

Pros

Working at Hays, specifically the Calgary office can be a roller coaster. They hire people who do not have recruitment experience and give them a chance to really develop a career. The first few months are really tough. You will be thrown into uncomfortable situations and be forced to find your way out. You will probably cry, get angry and frustrated, even have to leave to blow off some steam sometimes. However after you get past that initial few months, you will start to have some wins. Your wins will be celebrated and acknowledged - they have monthly presentations that shout out all the wins of the people working there and recently made some changes so the wins dont have to be focused solely on profit. You will most likely make some really good friends while working there. There is this sense of "we are all in this together" and you can take comfort in knowing that everyone around you knows what it is like to have a bad day, or be disappointed by a manager, or be put in impossible situations. You will also have people around you who know how special even the small wins are so they will celebrate those with you as well. Everyone is pretty young and almost everyone is really helpful/ open to teaching new people. It is a great place to start a career and you will learn so many lessons working there, both professionally and personally. If you show interest in them, they will show interest in you.

Cons

Sometimes the job just sucks, but that is recruitment in general. You have to be able to handle the highs and lows of the job without breaking to the pressure. There is no real flex times or days and that is not going to change. They are an old school business who sees the benefit of your typical 8-5 job. There will also be lots of hours outside of work that you will need to be working. If you are looking for something that is 9-5, with an hour lunch, do not work in agency recruitment! You have to make your own success. There will be times where things are unfair. There are some people in the management team who are not the best leaders, they can be unfair and biased and all of those things that you are not supposed to be as a leader. But, there are also great leaders there who will help you to succeed and give you the advice and support you need - as long as you ask for it. Things will be unfair at times and you just have to be able to role with the punches. If you are looking for a trendy company that is all about that work/life balance, this is not the place for you. They have a strict dress code, no remote working, and are KPI based. Imagine what a job looked like 20 years ago and that is what you should expect. This isn't really a "con", it is just the way they work and if you go into the role with other expectations you will be disappointed.

Pros

Excellent database management system Great marketing team and resources Great international work program Good commission plan Decent benefits, 4 weeks vacation

Cons

Huge staff turnover & low staff morale Poor executive leadership Toxic, fear based culture Below market base salaries

Pros

This is a great place to work. Since joining I have felt supported and driven to get to my next promotion. Overall a good work environment and glad I came to work here.

Cons

In recruitment the work never stops, always something to do but that’s what makes it rewarding.

Pros

I have worked at Hays for sometime now and absolutely love the people I work with and the job I get to do. It is a challenging faced paced environment with a lot of support from the senior management team. They have a great on boarding and training program to help you succeed. You will get constant check ins and one on ones to help you achieve goals. The work life balance was a challenge at first but once you get a handle on the role and the urgency required to succeed it becomes much better. I would recommend Hays Calgary to anyone looking for an opportunity to grow their career and be challenged everyday. I cannot say enough good things about the culture and environment I work in, and the people I get to work with!

Cons

Not really a con, you need to be self driven and motived to succeed but if you are, you’ll love it at Hays!