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      Saffery

      Engaged employer

      Saffery Reviews

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      3.0

      38% would recommend to a friend

      (167 total reviews)

      Matthew Burton

      46% approve of CEO

      45% positive business outlook

      Ratings by category

      2.8

      Culture and values

      2.7

      Work/Life balance

      2.7

      Compensation and benefits

      2.7

      Career opportunities

      2.6

      Diversity and inclusion

      2.5

      Senior management

      Saffery has an employee rating of 3.0 out of 5 stars, based on 167 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Saffery employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Finance industry (3.7 stars).

      Reviews by job title

      167 reviews
      1.0
      22 Mar 2024

      A Disheartening Experience

      Accounts senior
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business outlook

      Pros

      I'll have a think about it...

      Cons

      Working at Saffery has been a disappointing and disheartening experience from start to finish. Despite its reputation as an accounting firm, my time there left me questioning their commitment to employee well-being and professional growth. First and foremost, the work culture at Saffery is toxic. The hierarchical structure fosters an environment where seniority is valued over merit, leading to favoritism and a lack of opportunities for those lower down the ladder. Ideas and suggestions from junior staff are often dismissed without consideration, creating a sense of demoralization and disillusionment. Furthermore, the workload is overwhelming and unrealistic. Despite promises of work-life balance during the recruitment process, the reality is far from it. Long hours are not only expected but also enforced, with little regard for the impact on employees' mental and physical health. Burnout is rampant, yet management seems indifferent to the well-being of their staff. Moreover, the lack of support and guidance is glaring. New employees are thrown into the deep end without adequate training or mentorship, leading to feelings of incompetence and frustration. Rather than investing in their employees' development, Saffery seems content to let them flounder and struggle on their own. Additionally, the compensation and benefits package is subpar compared to industry standards. Despite the demanding workload and high expectations, salaries are below average, and bonuses are few and far between. It's clear that Saffery prioritizes maximizing profits over rewarding its employees for their hard work and dedication. Overall, my experience working at Saffery has been profoundly negative. The toxic work culture, unrealistic workload, lack of support, and inadequate compensation make it a company I cannot in good conscience recommend to anyone seeking employment in the accounting industry. If you value your well-being and professional growth, steer clear of Saffery.

      avatar
      Saffery Response
      1y
      Thank you for taking the time to write a review detailing your experience at Saffery. We’re very sorry to learn that you haven’t had the positive experience that we strive for. We take this type of feedback very seriously and we’re absolutely committed to ensuring that everyone gets opportunities to learn, to develop professionally and that they feel supported. Developing our people is a key priority; from early careers to experienced hires, we want our people to achieve their full potential, helping them take their careers where they want them to go, at a pace that suits them. If you are willing to discuss your experience, we would be happy to listen to your thoughts and suggestions of how we could improve further. Please do reach out to our talent management team on 07548 312953. As a firm, we pride ourselves on welcoming new joiners and ensuring that the onboarding process and comprehensive induction make everyone feel at home from day one. We have a wellbeing strategy, with wellbeing champions in each of our offices and a programme of initiatives to address any feelings or concerns around anxiety or burnout. We’ve also partnered with an external employee assistance programme for many years, proving confidential, emotional support to staff by specially trained counsellors. Recognising and rewarding individual contributions is very important, and we offer a flexible benefits & reward package that can be tailored for individuals and their circumstances. Our salaries are also benchmarked annually across all roles and in all the geographies we operate in. Overtime is offered but is always on a voluntary basis, and this is driven by individuals. We appreciate your candid feedback and would welcome a conversation if you did want to reach out to us, in confidence. Best wishes from our team and thank you for taking to time to leave this review.
      1.0
      31 Aug 2014

      Very old fashioned firm with awful management/partner group, little leadership and very poor culture

      Senior tax manager
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business outlook

      Pros

      Very few really. Some good people and does offer job security for someone lacking ambition or enthusiasm.

      Cons

      Truly poor partner group - limited ability, poor management skills, little commercial acumen and not much ambition. Not much personal integrity at partner level - not unusual to be lied to. No real leadership at partner level. Majority of the partnership would not have made it beyond senior manager level anywhere else. Those that make it through tend to be the ones that dont show much initiative or skill (ie face fits and maintain the existing culture of mediocrity). Firm seems to have started recruiting external partners as this has become such a problem. Staff not really valued. The firm is led by the partners who pretty much treat the staff like cattle. If you're not a partner your pretty much a second class resource and can be treated like dirt. Weird culture where some really off colour comments by the partners are apparently ok (seriously offensive and would be a disciplinary matters anywhere else). Leaders lack courage to take address or challenge bad behaviours. It's very VERY old fashioned. A bit if a boys club really. If your face fits and you can stomach the culture of mediocrity it may be bearable but if not it's a truly awful environment. General lack of technical expertise in the firm. Poor working environment. Offices all quite dated (even the new ones). No flexible working. Lack of client contact. Lack of responsibility and few positive role models. It's a partner led model. Some seriously bad advice provided to clients... Was sometimes quite embarrassing to work there. Overall it's a firm which seems to attract those who want to hide away in a safe and unchallenging environment. Not somewhere for someone with enthusiasm or ambition. Oh Nd salary is way wY under market rate (though they'll swear blind it isn't.... Don't be fooled!) I'd recommend avoiding like the plague.

      1.0
      12 Mar 2024

      Pretty grim

      Trainee accountant
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business outlook

      Pros

      It's only 3 years to endure everything before you get qualified and can move on.

      Cons

      A lot of office politics, who gets along with whom etc. As a trainee, you get blamed for anything going wrong. The managers are the worst.

      avatar
      Saffery Response
      1y
      Thank you for taking the time to write a review detailing your experience at Saffery. We’re very sorry to learn that you haven’t had the positive experience that we strive for. We take this type of feedback very seriously and we’re absolutely committed to ensuring that everyone gets opportunities to learn, to develop professionally and that they feel supported. Developing our people is a key priority; from early careers to experienced hires, we want our people to achieve their full potential, helping them take their careers where they want them to go, at a pace that suits them. If you are willing to discuss your experience, we would be happy to listen to your thoughts and suggestions of how we could improve further. As a firm we recognise that change is inevitable and that there is a need to innovate and adapt to ensure our future success. Making mistakes and trying new ways of working, enables us to enhance our ability to respond to opportunities and challenges. If you are willing to discuss your experience, we would be happy to listen to your thoughts and suggestions of how we could improve further. Please do reach out to our talent management team on 44 (0)7548 312953. We appreciate your candid feedback and would welcome a conversation if you did want to reach out to us, in confidence. Best wishes from our team and thank you for taking to time to leave this review.
      Viewing 1 - 3 of 167 Reviews
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      ReviewsSaffery reviews

      Glassdoor has 180 Saffery reviews submitted anonymously by Saffery employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Saffery is right for you.