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    Close Brothers Reviews

    Updated 9 January 2019
    105 reviews

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    3.5
    StarStarStarStarStar
    Rating TrendsRating Trends
    Recommend to a friend
    Approve of CEO
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    Preben Prebensen
    52 Ratings

    Employee Reviews

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    Pros

    • "Good work life balance and flexible working options" (in 16 reviews)

    • "great culture, flat structure, very engaged" (in 7 reviews)

    Cons

    • "With quite a lot of change at the senior management level, progress through the ranks is slow" (in 11 reviews)

    • "Lack of career progression in current role" (in 7 reviews)

    More Pros and Cons

    1. "Brilliant place to work"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Manager in London, England
      Current Employee - Manager in London, England
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Close Brothers full-time (More than 5 years)

      Pros

      Strong leadership team, lots of consultation with employees at all levels. (Employee engagement survey taken v. seriously)
      Nice size, easy to add value and a flat management structure
      Good work life balance and flexible working options
      Well supported to develop professionally and personally

      Cons

      Internal communications could be better

    2. "Treasury banking opertions executive"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Treasury Banking Operations Executive in London, England
      Current Employee - Treasury Banking Operations Executive in London, England
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I have been working at Close Brothers full-time (More than 3 years)

      Pros

      fairly decent bank to work for

      Cons

      career development slow at times

      3. Join the Close Brothers team
      See Our Latest Jobs

    3. Helpful (1)

      "Business Operations Administrator"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee

      I worked at Close Brothers full-time

      Pros

      My job at Close Brothers Premium Finance was my very first office job.
      My job role was a Business Operations Administrator.
      The managers were flexible and the company had a good structure in place, which made me feel valued.

      Cons

      I felt that from January 2015 to May 2016 there wasn't many opportunities for progression within the company.

    4. "Great history, Uncertain future"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Manager in London, England
      Current Employee - Manager in London, England
      Doesn't Recommend
      Negative Outlook
      Disapproves of CEO

      I have been working at Close Brothers full-time (More than 5 years)

      Pros

      CBG has a phenomenal HISTORY of sustainable, profitable growth coupled with its HERITAGE of championing entrepreneurs and small businesses in the UK.

      Cons

      Growing concerns among staff of an excessive focus on quarterly results without any clear strategy or investment in the future. Clear instances of over reliance on past performance as an indicator of future success. Concern among staff that the number of recent changes/exits among senior management and business units, reflecting disagreement about the future direction of the Group, particularly as staff view many recent appointments by Risk/Credit as appointing allies, rather than talent in the industry, thus avoiding challenge on the status quo.

      Advice to Management

      Difficult to say. The courage to listen to all voices without putting them down - recognition that junior staff want to be a part of the future and that they will do whatever it takes to make CBG the best place to work and succeed. Stop making token efforts in this regard and really empower staff by encouraging the challengers as well as those who simply. Strike a better balance between commercial ambition and risk management. Realise that diversity isnt just about gender, especially if those men and women are from the same corporate backgrounds with the same ideas, experience and beliefs.

    5. "Business Operations"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Business Operations Administrator in Wimbledon, England
      Current Employee - Business Operations Administrator in Wimbledon, England
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Close Brothers full-time (Less than a year)

      Pros

      - Great progression and support from managers

      Cons

      - Little opportunity for socialising within teams

    6. Helpful (2)

      "Avoid"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Doesn't Recommend
      Neutral Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I worked at Close Brothers full-time

      Pros

      Free fruit and decent location

      Cons

      Massive staff turnover. No progression. Loads of backstabbing. Negative attitudes with all lines of management. Big blame culture.

    7. Helpful (2)

      "Mixed feelings"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee

      I worked at Close Brothers full-time

      Pros

      Close Brothers are good at having team and annual events

      Cons

      Unfortunately if you don't fit into the 'gentlemans club', your credits don't count, its very much who you know and not what you know. Quite old school in its behaviours and flexible working is not trusted or encouraged.

      Advice to Management

      Look at why staff turnover is so high

    8. "Project Manager"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Project Manager in London, England
      Current Employee - Project Manager in London, England
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I have been working at Close Brothers full-time (More than 3 years)

      Pros

      Friendly, not over pressurised environment. Good hours and benefits

      Cons

      Many processes heavily manual. Currently undergoing huge internal change to correct this

    9. "Great company to develop at"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee

      I worked at Close Brothers full-time

      Pros

      Lots of opportunity to develop
      Open culture with great employees
      Flat structure

      Cons

      Salary not as high as some competitors

    10. Helpful (2)

      "Total waste of time - avoid like the plague!"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in London, England
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in London, England
      Doesn't Recommend
      Negative Outlook
      Disapproves of CEO

      I worked at Close Brothers full-time

      Pros

      (1) Free fruit platters every morning;
      (2) Free tea and coffee;
      (3) Free Friday night drinks;
      (4) Compensation in line with marketplace.

      Cons

      (1) Very high attrition rate (both voluntary and involuntary) across all levels and all qualities;
      (2) Highly fragmented organisation with each business unit contradicting the other business units;
      (3) Highly accusatory management who are very quick to point the finger without understanding the environment the employee is working in;
      (4) Quick to give feedback but won't take feedback on board - the employee has no voice;
      (5) HR support is non-existent;
      (6) Management turn blind-eye to bullying;
      (7) Lack of defined processes;
      (8) Out-dated IT;
      (9) Over-worked staff with low morale;
      (10) Insecure working environment with lots of restructures;
      (11)No clear direction.

      Advice to Management

      Senior management is very much an old boys' club. They should pay particular attention to middle management who leave a lot to be desired - why are so many people going? What are you doing to push them away (voluntary exits)? Where are the flaws in your recruitment process if you are recruiting the wrong skill-set (involuntary exits)? There is a lot of bullying present and, regardless what middle management tell you, the employee has no voice. Middle management are blaming the more junior ranks for their own shortcomings to protect themselves and not allowing them to express opinions and consequently middle management are seriously misleading senior management and de-motivating the more junior employees. A toxic environment and not one I could recommend to others.