Pros
- A very sociable company with lots of young, driven, friendly and fun colleagues in all departments. I really enjoyed working there, would highly recommend it, and met a lot of great people with the Audio Branding Team in particular being fantastic to work with. PHMG has worked hard to make the offices an enjoyable place to come to work every day, such as investing in games rooms and a bar in the Manchester Head Office. - Excellent opportunity to make lots of commission every month if you work hard and hit your targets. Additional quarterly and bi-annual performance bonuses are also available to top performers on the team. Unlike a lot of other companies the targets and commission brackets are realistic if you’re prepared to work hard and put the effort in. The people who will thrive here are commission/target-focussed and competitive, who want to be the best and be recognised for it. You will be compared to other people in your team, but it’s all to give you the drive to be better at your job. - Promising promotion opportunities within the company (not just lip service), again if you work hard and have a good reputation within the company. Many of my team, myself included, have progressed within the company, for which I was very grateful for. I personally found the management throughout the company to be very supportive and gave me the time and training I needed to be better in my job. Additionally, the company are always happy to arrange external training courses if you feel this would be beneficial to your role. I completed three while working here, which taught me some really useful skills. - The company is always looking to improve and be the best - whether that’s how much money they’ve raised for charity (a hugely admirable amount for the number of employees they have) or making processes more efficient for employees. - Generous budget for two company parties each year (for both the UK and North American offices) - the ‘summer soiree’ and the Christmas party. The company put a lot of effort in to plannign these, with a large budget and key speakers. They’re always a lot of fun and a highlight of working year. Additional budget for quarterly nights out on your team also a bonus of working here.
Cons
- Money means a lot to PHMG. The overall company culture is that your worth can be reflected in how much money you earn. If you’re money-motivated and would like to emulate living in ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ then this might not be a big problem for you. - A strangely old-fashioned and school-like culture for a ‘media agency’. For example, men have to wear a full suit and tie, be clean shaven and have no tattoos or piercings on show. The rules are significantly more relaxed for women thankfully. The day is also structured like school in that you have designated break times in the morning, lunch and afternoon. I assume because it’s easier to manage or monitor when people are working, but this leads to an overall feeling of not being trusted by the company to dress appropriately or work your required hours. I feel a more adult, flexible approach would lead to an even better working environment. - With over 400 employees the company would really benefit from having an internal HR department. My pay has often been incorrect and later rectified, and the benefits side of your contract could be more competitive with other companies.