Simply Business reviews

3.6

57% would recommend to a friend

(306 total reviews)
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David Summers

78% approve of CEO

56% positive business outlook

Simply Business has an employee rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 306 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Simply Business employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Insurance industry (3.6 stars).

Reviews by job title

306 reviews
2.0
Apr 1, 2021

Top heavy structure and slow paced delivery mindset

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

1. Wellbeing is taken very seriously here. 2. Dependent on your mindset (this could be a pro or a con) work output is not challenged and is low.

Cons

1. Top heavy structure. There are MANY MANY managers here and created roles that i know for a fact few understand. Where there is concern about velocity and or deliverables the answer always seems to be to throw resource at the problem...hire lots of Managing Directors to discuss. The problem is few of these people seem to have the want or assertion to actually make quick decisions. Pontification is the 'go to here' with Governance processes added that really seem to add another layer of unchallenging conversation, when really the elephant in the room is "given the sheer quantity of people being hired, why are there still so manyof the same urgent priorities taking months and years to be discussed and delivered?" 2. Tech composition - the way tech is structured is unlike anywhere i have worked before. Tech people are treated like Gods: given massive training budgets and Level up ability Vs all other roles. The way this division is treated has resulted in many abusing the system, delivering little and offering pitiful excuses that just would not be accepted time and time again. The velocity of tech is extremely low, they are not monitored or challenged anywhere near enough as recruitment in this area is challenging, and i feel those that are here can get away with blue murder. Again the construct does not help here, there are many roles within tech that seem to be duplications of effort and have been created to retain rather than for an absolute need in that area. I wish management would seriously review the construct of set teams and seriously consider building teams based on projects, allowing for fluidity of skill set and movement...rather than as it stands where you are forced to endure sometimes extremely poor attitudes and velocity outputs which when challenged are dismissed...why?...because tech rules that is why!! 3. No sense of urgency - honestly things move at a glacial pace here. If you enjoy stringing stuff out then it is wonderful and i argue is the reason why so many people stay but in all honesty there is no sense of pace here. Bonuses are not performance related which does not assist with motivation. 4. There is very limited knowledge as to company performance due to data access being difficult to easily access and analyse...Looker and Sherlock are not intuitive tools, indeed the labeling and subsets of data mean that you need people to review any dashboards you create before making any assumptions. I wish data was accessible in a more user friendly package i honestly feel it would allow those of us who want to understand the business, a much better chance of finding opportunities and access points. 5. Deep exploration and entrepreneurial discovery is not encouraged however much the business tries to state so in interviews. In reality, work is booked out for months and years against a massive roadmap which is ever growing with legacy and tech debt clean up work. 6. The Unique Selling Point of this business i.e. its flexibility has gone. More and more companies are now offering flexible hours and working from home as and when you want. If you asked me now what makes people stay, i would say the incredibly low work output requirements and complete lack of urgency. I think those who are career driven are hanging in here until the economy opens back up to make a move, although i have noticed a spike in people leaving this month post bonus which is unlike anything i have seen before. Maybe watching those that are ambitious leave could be the push the company needs to reassess?

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Simply Business Response
5y
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.
3.0
Mar 10, 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The people are amazing. I love my colleagues and consider them friends, not least of which because none of them have ever invited me to a Zoom happy hour. At least in the customer experience team they are intelligent, capable, and affable.

Cons

Upper management just can't make any decisions or priorities work or goals. No one at the top seems to talk to one another and competing priorities trickle down until you can't make anyone happy.

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Simply Business Response
5y
Thanks for taking the time to leave your feedback. It’s so important for us to hear from both former and current SBers, and while it’s great to learn about the areas we’re doing well in, we really do value constructive feedback which can help make Simply Business an even better place to work. To quickly touch on the positives – it’s pleasing that your overall outlook at SB is optimistic and you love your colleagues. Our people are what make our culture so fantastic, and I’m glad to hear you enjoy working with your team. With regards to your thoughts on prioritisation, thanks for letting us know how you’re feeling on this. We recognise that as an ambitious growth business, clear prioritisation will be so important when it comes to exploring the right opportunities ahead of us. In a challenging period for everyone, the progress we’ve been able to make as a business has been incredibly encouraging – thanks to the great work of our people – but we know there are always ways we can work more effectively. We want our teams to feel empowered to tackle opportunities with autonomy, but equally know the importance of clear direction and prioritisation. Thank you again for both your hard work during your time at SB, and for sharing your thoughts.
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Glassdoor has 330 Simply Business reviews submitted anonymously by Simply Business employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Simply Business is right for you.