Xbite Reviews

2.3

17% would recommend to a friend

(11 total reviews)

Nick Whitehead

24% approve of CEO

17% positive business outlook

Reviews by job title

11 reviews
2.0
13 Dec 2021

Talk a good game,....cant play though.

Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

There is a large amount of friendly people around at both sites. Some of which really are good natured and want people to have fun at work (which is after all what xbite promotes). There were a few Pros a couple of years back in terms of benefits etc (these no longer exist). - games room - free fruit - lunches (for apprenticeships) - monthly 1:1s (linked to below) - bonus system - wheel of awesome Discount on 365 games is good.

Cons

There is no structure to the whole company. There are lots of levels in terms of colleagues and team leaders, supervisors, coordinators, directors, etc. However, the owner is the only one who has the final say and the rest of the structure beneath is a flat line. The team leaders, supervisors etc, do not stand a chance, as the so called Senior Leadership Team under mine them and talk directly with staff. May as well do away with all the layers as they are providing no value, you wont let them! There most definitely is a 'blame' culture. In line with the above, the senior managers get involved in everything, to the point where others (who's job it is) then stop. Then the senior managers 'blame' everyone else for something not being done. I can see from a lot of reviews on here, the owner has stated people didn't say about the negative things when they were in employment with Xbite. I can honestly say i have witnessed views being put across and the simple fact is the owner does not want to accept that they exist and simply does not want to listen, really cannot accept criticism. The reaction most recently is now platforms for communication even being dropped so that these messages are even more so hindered at now getting across. You want to listen but no one is allowed to talk? The identity of what xbite was, has now changed. The simple fact is that through the pandemic, the business opted to go full steam ahead. Go 24/7 operating, move to bigger premises, employ people on ridiculous wages left, right and centre. Still promise customers things that no other company could deliver (and neither could xbite). Greed and naivety took over. Then when normality almost started to settle back in, extreme measures then have had to take place as the outgoings are simply not sustainable. People losing jobs, benefits being removed constantly and all that is said is we were in uncertain times and these things could not be avoided. Really? Everyone else saw it coming. By everyone, i mean people working at xbite as well as other businesses. You just kept throwing money at the situation, thinking that it would last forever. end result. Too much stock now that no one wants. Having to release staff to the point where there are now not enough to carry out the processes you implemented through the busy lockdown. premises too big. cut bonuses. change shift patterns repeatedly (so you could cut hourly wage). salary reviews stopped (the last one literally didn't even happen). Expected to work overtime for free.

avatar
Xbite Response
4y
Thanks for your feedback Lee, and I would agree with some of your comments. I suppose the difficult times which businesses have faced will impact everyone involved. It’s not on purpose nor deliberate but perhaps how it is. We work together to face the challenges and it’s been great to see committed people come together as we deal with supply chain challenges, Brexit, “during covid” significant impact, “post covid” impact, amongst other things. Unfortunately you are painting a picture with selective truths to suit your feelings. I’m sad you have these views as it is not what the company stands for. When people struggle they tend to find the negatives, and we are not perfect, so for sure you can cherry pick things but that doesn't mean it paints the right picture. Better operations today - We’ve welcomed new management into our operations and for the first time in 18 months, hit our targets in addition to having colleagues that are more engaged, which is really refreshing. Was it disruptive - Yes, was it necessary - Yes, are the vast majority better off because of the change - Certainly. During the last 9 months we continue to provide wage increases, even in difficult times. You perhaps came to Xbite just for the bonus (which was not life changing by any means). This bonus was not introduced because people requested it but because the company was in a position to put something in place - That’s what we do. You question the moral compass of the company based on many elements that the company freely puts in place - Is it take, take, take for you? We will continue to do the right thing and push the company to do the right thing for colleagues, when we can. The vast majority understand that these added value elements we introduce are subject to how well we are doing. Really sorry about the free fruit being stopped but Covid made it impossible to continue something like that - I hope you find your next employer can accommodate this. We continue to support colleagues. Apprentices converting into full time employment, Xmas spirit throughout the company with 12 days of Xmas, some funny year end awards, ending with a young colleague receiving the “Awesome” award for efforts in helping others. That’s what we are about Lee. You provide a large amount of anonymous advice, that serves no purpose to you personally and therefore seeks to throw stones at your fellow colleagues. When times are tough it does show who you can rely on. Those that procrastinate, add little value, perhaps struggle building relationships, and those that struggle with change - It’s hard for them. It’s hard for those around them too. Not everyone is like that, in fact the vast majority are not like that evidenced by those in the business. You have your view, but applying that view to give the perception that everyone is of the same opinion is not right and is demonstrated not to be right. Writing a long review, anonymously, in an open forum just represents the negative piece we have today in society where people think they can freely have an opinion that can go without challenge or consequence. If you feel this is not the case, I challenge you to add your feedback and this reply into your CV to show prospective employers what you really think and how others react to that. What consequence do you think there will be if you truly show a prospective employer your opinions and reactions? Why not write your comments in a linkedin post to tell the world what you think and associate yourself with those opinions and allow others to challenge that? The post will be there for your working life. Your views here are not reflective of your comments when in the business. In April quote “The direction i am receiving from you at present is really good. I feel im learning which is really important for me. I haven't felt like i have learned a lot in the last few years of my working life other than through everyday experiences (which we all pick up) so this is good” Playing games, and writing a disingenuous review to hurt people you have worked with, is not the kind of person I want in the business. Have colleagues struggled this year - Certainly. Have I struggled this year - Definitely. You have raised some valid points which have been resolved or are work in progress. We’ve stabilised the business and are working through the next phase. We continue with a growth mindset and hold close, our values. I want people to be happy at work as life is too short. I want people to work together, create friendships, learn new things and have fun along the way. I hope you have found a better fit elsewhere. Founder Nick
1.0
10 Oct 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Nice offices and good coffee

Cons

Pay is well below industry standards CEO loves a “yes man” culture. Realists are shot down. A lot of the managers have been promoted from within, which sounds great, but they are all clueless and only know the Xbite way. No WFH/flexi time, staff forced back in against government advice. Whole business is run on overdrafts and loans, there’s no money left. I would advise any jobseekers to avoid this company. They pay terribly and don’t offer you any training/qualifications.

avatar
Xbite Response
4y
Thank you for your feedback. We have invested in our facilities and work environment which many appreciate. It is a shame you have worked for the company for 3 years and to cite the management team as clueless is unfair and unjust given what the team has developed and built during this time. We have a great team of committed people and its a shame that you couldn't forge a good relationship with any of them over a 3 year period. Regarding pay "well below industry standard", why did you stay at the company for more than 3 years? I don't accept that our pay is way below industry standard. We have good pay with good opportunities for people to learn and progress (like so many already have). If you were a buyer at the company for 3 years, knowing the team well, you will have come to the company with little to no buying experience and probably leaving with a CV that reads very well - Is Xbite as bad as you make it? We do offer training - Those in HR, Warehouse, and other departments in addition to workshops we have run this year - 6 in total to cover elements of management and ways of working, which have been difficult to achieve given the Covid situation but we understand the value are determined to continue to invest in this area. Your comment about flexi work is untrue. We have launched a trial of SMART working / Remote working in a number of departments. Even today we have welcomed onboard a remote worker that can deliver what is needed. We have loans and we have an overdraft like 95% of businesses. We also have over £2m positive balance sheet, £6m stock value. Your team has recently purchased plenty of stock ! E-Commerce is a fast paced business as you will know being with the company for 3+ years. It can be challenging for some to adapt and change, in addition to challenging for the company. We have many satisfied colleagues in the business who are committed and dedicated as we work together and hopefully find the fun along the way. You have my details and are able to contact me if you wish for me to better understand your claims. You remain anonymous and I don’t know who you are, which is sad, and I hope you find a better fit somewhere else. Founder Nick
1.0
23 Sept 2021

Rapid Decline

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Friendly and helpful colleagues (for the most part) - Good facilities / nice office space

Cons

Xbite was once a thriving company and an amazing place to work - However, due to difficulties following covid, Brexit, etc... things have gone downhill fast. The company was understandably forced to make redundancies to protect its interests, however, this is not why I am writing a bad review - I am writing a bad review because of the manner in which the company handled these difficult times, ultimately leading to myself and many others handing in their notices. 1) Poor communication - The communication from management was awful, nobody knew what was going on, and when we did it was conveyed in a highly unprofessional and ineffective manner. 2) Remote work - While the company did initially allow employees to work from home, the return to the office was handled poorly. There was little to no notice, and at times it was contradicting government advice. 3) Removal of benefits - All benefits were immediately suspended with no information about when they might come back. Salaries at Xbite have always been poor, but these benefits always made it worthwhile, this is no longer the case. 4) Incompetent management - The senior leadership team is genuinely incompetent, they frequently make poor business decisions leading to further decline, are unable/unwilling to properly communicate, and conduct themselves in an unprofessional manner. 5) Poor salaries - Like most companies, Xbite boasts "competitive" salaries, and this is true... If they were competing with a Chinese sweatshop. Salaries at Xbite are well below industry normals, and there isn't much room to progress. 6) Fear mongering - The company has recently started using redundancies as a tool to increase productivity, if you aren't prepared to do unpaid overtime or take responsibilities above your role and salary chances are you will end up on the "redundancy list", and they make that quite clear. 7) Blame culture - A lot of Xbites problems can be traced up the ladder to the senior leadership team, but instead of accepting any kind of responsibility the blame is passed around to individuals. The owner is especially guilty of this, instead of trying to understand and mitigate employee concerns he simply points the finger at someone else. 8) Micromanagement - You are micromanaged in everything you do, by people who have no or very little knowledge of your profession. You will get someone who has never written a line of code in their life telling you how things should work - and of course, when it inevitably doesn't work out you can bet it's all your fault. 9) Lack of trust - Xbite has an inherent trust issue, you feel like someone is always looking over your shoulder. This ties into the fear-mongering, and I would almost describe it as a school-like environment, a lot of the trust you get from other businesses just isn't there, and you feel like a child who can't be trusted to do anything unsupervised. I hold no grudge against Xbite, it was once a truly fantastic place to work, and it's a genuine shame to see it declining as fast as it is. But if you are reading this looking for your next role, I would urge you to look somewhere else, in its current condition Xbite does not make a good employer and they are in no position to provide you with a secure role from what I have seen. Personally, I have found significantly more success since my departure from the business.

avatar
Xbite Response
4y
I appreciate the time taken to give your feedback, although it would have been more productive if this feedback was given at the time so we can better understand your points. It’s been a difficult time dealing with the effects of Covid, Brexit and volatile growth and I completely agree with you that Xbite was and still is a thriving company and amazing place to work. For the last 17 years we have continued with our values and refined the way we work and continually improved facilities and environment for our work family. Today we continue to support our work family and I fear you are confusing dealing with difficult times to the attitude of the company. During the difficult period, we could have dealt with some elements better but you somewhat mis-represent the events, I believe. We have launched a trial of SMART working / Remote working in a number of departments. Even today we have welcomed onboard a remote worker that can deliver what is needed. It is disingenuous to say “All benefits were removed”. We paused 2, the bonus system and the Wheel of Awesome. Out of the 20+ benefits, I am proud of supporting benefits such as enhanced parental leave, earn additional holidays (time served), modern facilities with brand new equipment, Discount scheme on purchases, EAP programme, and the continuation of providing a free flu jab for every employee and many more benefits. “All benefits” have not been removed. I can’t understand how you started your feedback with “Xbite was once a thriving company and an amazing place to work” and then say how incompetant the management and SLT are. They are mostly the same people and it feels you are seeking to throw stones, unfairly. Again your initial statement of how great Xbite was contradicts claims of “Xbite has an inherent trust issue”, “Fear mongering” , “You are micromanaged in everything you do”. Unfortunately we did have a small group of negative people that made it unpleasant and unacceptable for others and I am pleased that they have left the business. Something that I have not seen before in the last 17 years of the company. People like that are not welcome in the business. E-Commerce is a fast paced business as you will know being with the company for 3+ years. It can be challenging for some to adapt and change, in addition to challenging for the company. We have many satisfied colleagues in the business who are committed and dedicated as we work together and hopefully find the fun along the way. You have my details and are able to contact me if you wish for me to better understand your claims. You remain anonymous and I don’t know who you are, which is sad, and I hope you find a better fit somewhere else. Founder Nick
Viewing 1 - 3 of 11 Reviews

Glassdoor has 22 Xbite reviews submitted anonymously by Xbite employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Xbite is right for you.