If you are keen on being in this industry then get the name on your CV and leave. There is no career progression. Nobody ever asks you about your objectives or career plan. Nobody cares. They have standard HR things like appraisals and 'happy at work' surveys, but these are just to tick a box from their side. None of it is followed up. In 5 years nobody ever asked me where I want to be or what my career goals are with a genuine intention to work towards them.
During my time I had very little in terms of pay rise. In fact, a pay rise only beat inflation once, so effectively I was loosing money every year by staying there. One time when I argued I was being paid way below market rate, it became very clear that my boss doing the pay review had no idea what market rate was. He valued my position at £15k below national average! And I was in London!
If you go to HR you are not an employee with a problem, but a problem employee. I received a pay rise but had to sign a new contract in order to get it. The new contract had a different set of working hours. They had not pointed this out to me which is just odd. When I argued my boss did nothing and the 'problem employee' resurfaced in child like email exchanges with HR.
The long termers at MPC are now institutionalised and cannot see the wood for the trees. Sadly, most of the managers have no people management skills at all. Once I handed my notice in my boss did not talk through it with me, or speak to me during the whole months notice period. Or even say good bye on my last day! This was not because of a grudge, just because he had no people skills. What kind of person does this?!
It was one of those jobs where when you go to another company, you realise just how bad MPC are and berate yourself for staying there so long. Work here if you want to make it in the industry. But do not stay for long. Do not get suckered in. You will not progress, your wage will not rise, you will have no benefits, you will wonder exactly why your HOD is on 3 times your salary for doing very little more. You have been warned.
