AMS reviews

CEO Rosaleen Blair was once asked why the company was called Alexander Mann. She answered that they wanted a name that instantly sounded like it had gravitas and credibility. That, I think, sums Alexander Mann up. It has a good brand, but behind that crisp white-collar image there's nothing really there. Getting a job with Alexander Mann is like opening an easter egg then realising the chocolate is standard fare and there's no bag of sweets inside. There isn't really a company culture - sure there are values statements but these aren't really lived out by senior management. Read the company handbook carefully and you'll see that if Alexander Mann loses the client you're contracted to then "whilst every effort will be made to redeploy you" you only get statutory redundancy pay - about £400 per year worked, no matter how long you've worked there or how strong your performance was, which isn't how good employers behave in a white-collar business in the 21st century. The business isn't a factory. Most of us were regularly massively overworked by the client (that's why they outsourced in the first place!) - ridiculously overworked - and Alexander Mann never really seemed to address this with their clients, it was something if a workhouse. And all employees said there was a strong sense of not belonging to Alexander Mann, more of belonging to your client.

While this is coming from someone who was laid off from AMS, let me say that the day I was told I was being made redundant, I was the happiest I have ever been in a long time, knowing I didn’t have to wake up and work for this company one additional day. I will not name names, but rather some leadership positions and the AMS culture in general. It’s a running joke in the US that “if you aren’t British, you are perceived as a moron.” Everyone says this, and everyone within leadership knows this is said, however it’s never addressed and nothing changes. If you’re are from, or originated in the UK, you have Teflon, and they will never touch you. There are several individuals that are fairly high in the company that have not done well at their job, and they are just moved to another role, giving them another chance. If they were from the US, they would be axed easily. The “blame culture” at AMS is the worst I have ever seen in my career. There were several wrong decisions that originated at the C-Suite and ELT levels, yet the blame was always passed down. I’ve seen people confront this, and it never turned out good. I just felt as though they felt like children when issues arose. The Americas was somewhat on an island for a bit, and it was great. Everything rolled up to the President of the Americas, and I think everyone felt confident in her. Operations all fell under the MD’s, who mainly were in the US. We worked with Sales on opportunities, and they all were in the US and understood the US culture. The legal, solution team, and commercial team were all in the US and were easy to work with. Then everything changed. They made operations all global and trimmed us down so much that we worked all hours and felt we had no resources. The MD’s, who were great, got put in roles that were about growth, and barely had any teams under them. The sales, solutions, and commercial teams all got pushed out, and now everything is ran through the UK, which makes zero sense. And the new President of the Americas is not liked and unengaging. What the Americas had was never perfect, but was totally destroyed. Talking to my old colleagues, everything is looking to get out. I came to AMS because it was considered a great RPO to work for, and it’s anything but, and the market knows it.