Archaic, out of touch and very backwards
Pros
Frankly not a lot. Most people are friendly but the exceptions are mainly at the senior end. Hours are relatively stable but depends on the team.
Cons
There are deep rooted problems at management/senior level which filter down. Almost all management/senior level people have been at the company for a long time (15-30 years!) and are institutionalised. Management is completely out of touch with how things have moved on in the world. The company is archaic and bureaucratic. Feels like a 1980s/1990s London company. Almost all management staff are white males in their 50s/60s. Very few young people stay more than 2 years. It's a shame because the company is successful but compared to competitors benefits are poor for junior-mid level staff. Management/senior people have good benefits compared to competitors and they deliberately do not want to progress benefits for others because that is how they were treated so they want to retain the status quo. This forces most new staff to either leave within 2 years or stay long enough to become another villain. Staff have been disappearing overnight without a goodbye. Certain senior people like to throw their weight around just because they can. Staff morale is low. There is a general understaffing issue caused largely by a bad reputation. The company has finally realised that competitors are already international so there is a desperate move to establish branches outside of London. Cutting London staff and trying to grow elsewhere. Feedback from branch offices are equally negative except for the select few sent from London who are on excellent expat packages whilst local hires are treated poorly. From the outside it now appears more international but the infrastructure is still very much an archaic old-boys London outfit. Serious infrastructure problems from IT issues to career progression. The appraisal system is a complete joke and seen as a box-ticking chore by everyone. Management fine with high turnover. A few power-hungry bullies at management/senior level like to bash juniors because they can. A lot of politics at mid-senior level. Complete lack of transparency and promises are not met. Will overspend millions on creating a new brand but won't increase staff benefits. Many things simply don't make sense. This company suits those who can put up with it and manage to stay for a long time. A real shame. Very glad I moved onto somewhere more progressive.
