Good people, but not a people-focused business
Pros
Some really great people, that make it possible to do your job and stay sane when there is a crazy amount of reactive change going on. If you're happy to work long hours, then there are definitely opportunities to progress.
Cons
Senior management have lost touch with the business and they prioritise shareholders over employees. After a pay rise of 4% in 2022 (at a time of 11.6% inflation) they then removed employee bonuses, due to only hitting £51.5m profit. This was a profit decrease from the previous year as the war in Ukraine hit trading, but Halfords still chose to increase shareholder dividends. To really hammer home the point that staff aren't priority Halfords gave a 3% pay rise in October 2023 (at a time of 8.9% inflation). To make matters worse, there is no trust, there is way too much going on and management are too reactive. Systems, processes and teams lack investment, with money going on Exec pet projects that lack sound financial appraisal. People are expected to work silly hours, because teams aren't resourced to the right levels, and staff turnover means there's constantly people missing, but none of that changes what leaders expect.
