Pros
Some nice people and friendships.
Cons
If the bad reviews on this site are exaggerated, you have to ask yourself why the staff turn over is so high? There have been multiple people leave from all departments and regions in the past 12-18 months. Sales, IT, memberships, editorial, accounts and events (4 out of 7 members of the team have left? 3 of them in the last 3 months?). For a company that isn't actually that big, this is bad! Management need to take a look at themselves as they are one of the main reasons people are leaving. Along with poor pay and zero flexibility. They must be struggling to recruit (hence all the positive reviews popping up). To point out that even though the MD has guided the company through a recession and covid, this doesn't make them a nice person. Maybe just an average business woman. There's so much micromanagement that goes on here you often second guess your own capabilities. Your work is often double and triple checked. Why hire people if you don't trust them to do the work assigned to them? There are multiple members of staff that are actually more experienced than others but because they don't know as much about the 'Insider way' they are overlooked. Senior managers are so scared of Marlen that they often won't leave junior members of staff on there own over lunch time incase she comes round to the department. On the occasion that she does grace you with her presence, the MD will bipass other members of staff as you are not worthy of answering her questions. She often calls you by the wrong name. There has been multiple occasions when she has summoned someone into their office and ripped into them like a child for the whole office to hear. The MD has so little trust (or maybe she just wants to control everyone??) that the sales staff are currently on a lunch time rota so she know's where they are. The processes in the office are so dated that expenses, holidays and leave requests are still done on paper like it's 1989. The previous comment about sustainability must be a joke, there are stacks upon stacks of paper lying around the office as well as marketing materials from 15 years ago. Digitalise some of your processes and get with the times. The office is a depressing place no matter what over reviewers say. People do work in silence as if you do have a non work related discusssion with colleagues or laugh over a certain volume, the phone rings and you're told to be quiet. People turn up their nose at the slightest bit of noise from another department. You aren't allowed to use the fridge for anything other than milk for the 'free' tea and coffee, the windows open a tiny crack so you are left to swelter in summer and the office hasn't been refurbed (apart from the carpet) since it opened 20 years ago. My advice would be to read the negative reviews and consider why they all fit the same theme? There is obviously a lot of truth in what people are saying. The negatives far out way the positives.
