Top heavy structure and slow paced delivery mindset - Anonymous employee Simply Business Employee Review

Thanks for leaving such detailed feedback. We really do value the thoughts of current and former SBers, and recognise that getting the honest thoughts of our people – through both Glassdoor and our regular internal surveys – is crucial for us to continue making Simply Business the best possible place to work. We know that one of the benefits of Glassdoor is that it’s anonymous (as our internal surveys are of course), but if you would like to discuss any of your concerns in more detail, a member of our people team would welcome an open, honest conversation. Failing that, we’ll try to address your points below. Just to touch briefly on the positives before replying to your wider concerns. We really are proud that our efforts and commitment to our employees’ wellbeing is something you believe we’re doing well in. It’s always been high on the SB agenda, and we believe it’s more important than ever to invest the right amount of time and energy on wellbeing given the challenges of the last 12 months. Regarding your thoughts on the structure of our teams, this is really useful to know. With ambitions to continue to grow the business – at pace – we recognise that getting the right people in the business, and setting our teams up for success is vital. Equally, it’s just as important that our people feel empowered to make the right decisions, and we’re always considering ways to give our teams the autonomy they need to work effectively. As a company that prides itself on agility, the ability to deliver value for our customers at pace is crucial, and it’s good to get your take on this.Approaching 800 SBers globally, it’s crucial that our structure flexes and grows with us. Growing at such pace inevitably comes with challenges – we appreciate your thoughts and will consider how we can provide more clarity in this area. We believe that all of our teams should have the information to make the right decisions – so it’s a shame to hear that you feel this isn’t always necessarily the case. We’re proud of our award-winning data capabilities and will continue to invest in this area to make sure we’re improving further – with transparency, and empowerment for all teams a key priority. In terms of wider business performance, we do try to make this information readily available – and digestible with frequent company-wide communications, and broader quarterly all-hands sessions. We’ll consider how we can do an even better job on this front to make sure our whole team feel clear about the direction of travel for the business. On your point about flexibility specifically, we totally agree. We’re proud to have been pioneers in the way we shaped flexible working for many of our people, but in 2021 we’re no longer the only business who thinks this way. We’re working hard to understand how we best embrace a world that has changed massively in the last 12 months, making sure that Simply Business can continue to be industry-leaders in this regard – while maintaining our unique sense of culture. We’re so proud to have so many talented, ambitious people in the business, and know that this level of ambition is absolutely matched in our plans for the future. We know it’s our job to offer careers that are challenging, fulfilling and diverse enough to embrace this and are proud of the progress so many people have made in their careers at Simply Business. We take your thoughts on this really seriously, and can promise you that we’re constantly exploring ways we can help support our team’s learning and development. Thank you again for sharing your feedback with us. It really is so important for us to learn how our people are feeling, and each of your points will be picked up with the relevant teams and individuals. Again, if you’d like to have a conversation with anyone from our People team to drill into these points further, we’d be happy to chat.