Team spirit is strong, but management struggles persist
Pros
Team Cohesion: The immediate team exhibited strong collaboration and provided mutual support throughout varying business conditions. Career Progression: The role provided foundational experience and professional development that directly facilitated subsequent career advancement into a new position.
Cons
Working Arrangements: Hybrid working policies were inconsistently communicated and enforced. An initial agreement for hybrid working was retracted by the Managing Director in a written update. Subsequently, contradictory instructions regarding remote working allowances (1–2 days a week) were issued by different levels of management, resulting in unclear daily attendance requirements. Workplace Policies and Adherence: There was a notable discrepancy between written employment contracts and daily office practices. Specifically, the documented zero-tolerance alcohol policy was not enforced on-site, and behavioural standards appeared to be applied inconsistently across different employees. Internal Dynamics: The working environment was highly competitive, a dynamic actively encouraged by leadership. The criteria for allocating and sharing professional opportunities lacked transparency, which created friction between staff members during collaborative tasks. Remuneration Structure: The compensation model for engineers incorporated expenses in a way that reduced the company's obligation to pay a full base wage during periods when engineers were not assigned to a project. Management openly discussed this structure as a deliberate cost-saving strategy. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): The UK branch mandated a specific KPI framework (referred to as the ALTEN Model) requiring 10 interviews and 10 meetings per week. These targets were double those expected in other international offices. Staff were strictly ranked against these metrics, which led to the inaccurate reporting of figures by some employees attempting to meet the weekly quotas. Management Communication: Strategic decisions were frequently altered without prior consultation. Additionally, when employees resigned, leadership publicly characterised the departing staff members as lacking resilience. Staff Retention: The business experienced an 85% staff turnover rate amongst Business Managers over a two-year period. Also staff shrinkage, the Business team went from over 40 Business Managers to less than 15.
