Pros
- Gained experience working in a regulated customer service and financial services environment - Exposure to handling customer queries, case management and internal systems - Opportunity to work in a fast-paced environment and build resilience under pressure - Some colleagues on the advisor level were supportive and helpful despite the wider management issues - Previous management were respectful, professional and much better to work with, which made the environment feel more stable and supportive before later changes in management.
Cons
- Poor communication across teams and from management, with constant inconsistency and lack of clarity - Very limited support when help was needed, especially during difficult cases or when processes changed - Some managers did not appear to fully understand the processes they were managing, which made it harder for staff to do their jobs correctly - A culture of micromanagement and fault-finding rather than support, development or genuine coaching - Employees were often made to feel under pressure rather than properly guided - Low morale due to constant management changes and the way staff were treated - People were being dismissed for reasons many employees felt were unfair, particularly during periods of management change - False allegations and assumptions were made rather than issues being handled fairly and professionally - In my experience, concerns were not always investigated properly before decisions were made - Overall the environment felt unstable, unsupportive and unfair, with wellbeing and staff development clearly not being a priority - Phone and security rules felt inconsistent. Employees were not allowed to have or use personal phones in the office and could get in trouble for it, yet when working from home employees were able to use their phones more casually. At the same time, some staff in the office appeared to use personal phones while treating them as work devices, which made the rules feel inconsistently applied and undermined the seriousness of the policy. - Certain relationships and behaviour within management created a perception of favouritism and an unprofessional atmosphere. Some comments and “jokes” from management came across as rude or dismissive, and even if you came into work with a positive attitude, it often felt unwelcome or quickly drained by the atmosphere created around you. - I also experienced and witnessed behaviour and remarks from one male manager and two female managers that I felt were inappropriate, discriminatory and completely unacceptable in a workplace. In one instance, the male manager openly told a group of new trainees that he “hates this job,” which was unprofessional and damaging to morale, especially coming from someone in a leadership position. Leading to some individuals leaving because of that statement made. The same manager would often arrive in the morning in a moody and disrespectful manner, but his behaviour noticeably changed when senior management or the operations manager was present, which made the conduct feel insincere and performative rather than genuinely supportive. Alongside this, there were concerns around favouritism, excessive monitoring of staff activity, and an overall lack of professionalism from certain members of management, all of which contributed to an uncomfortable, unfair and demoralising working environment.