phs Group Employee Reviews about "manager"
77% would recommend to a friend
(44 total reviews)
Matthew Brabin
91% approve of CEO
Top Review Highlights by Sentiment
Excerpts from user reviews, not authored by Glassdoor
- "Account managers have no control over anything just to send complaints to customer service but the customers contracts stipulate 2 day SLA’s it was more like 10" (in 10 reviews)
- "Treat employees really badly, senior management we’re inept and out of their depth." (in 5 reviews)
Found 44 of over 332 reviews
Updated 16 Oct 2023
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Reviews about "manager"
Return to all Reviews- 5.017 Nov 2020Field Account ManagerCurrent Employee, less than 1 yearYork, England
Pros
such a range of products to offer to customers especially during these hard times. Positive and helpful account managers always there to help.
Cons
not enough of our customers know of the fantastic flooring range we supply.
phs Group Response4yHi! Thank you for your review. It's great to see our product range being recognized by staff, and the teamwork culture we want to be known for! It's a shame people don't know enough about our flooring range - If you have any ideas about how we can change this, drop me an email! Thank you, Henry Field Resourcing manager henryfield@phs.co.uk
- 2.010 Aug 2022Service DriverFormer Employee, more than 8 yearsBolton, England
Pros
Being able to take the company van home.
Cons
Appallingly low wage for the kind of work the company expects you to do. Considering you are handling hazardous, offensive and contaminated waste the company should pay a higher rate for handling such vile waste. A lot of unpleasant aspects to the job, e.g changing overflowing offensive waste bins, climbing down into rat infested basements hauling heavy infectious waste bags up narrow stairways, handballing heavy offensive waste bags out of 1100ltr bins with no lifting aids since most of their bins had no drop down doors at the front to make access easier, if you couldn't tip the bin up you would have to climb in the bin. Many of phs customer didn't seal their waste properly and so many bags would be leaking or contaminated. In addition the amount of work given forced you into overtime every day for a mere time and a third. If you didn't complete calls because you had too much work their managers would haul you over the coals demanding explanations. Some managers there was an air of bullying. I was even indirectly threatened at my interview when ( I kid you not )the manager said that he sometimes needed favours doing and if people refused he would remember and they would struggle to get holidays they wanted! Ironically this same manager left a few years later as his workload became too much. To be fair other managers were ok but I did hear from other drivers who said they felt bullied into completing their runs.
phs Group Response2yHi there, thank you for taking time to leave us a review. We understand and appreciate the role of Washroom Service Driver isn’t for everyone as you are dealing with offensive waste and the role is quite physical. Earlier this year phs did increase the salary for our Washroom Service Drivers and also introduced a new bonus scheme based on productivity and attendance. All Senior Managers have to go out with someone on our frontline to experience their role and this is done every year except in previous years when COVID level were at the highest. I can see you worked for phs for more than 8 years and want to thank you for your commitment and service and wish you all the best. Many thanks, Elis
- 2.027 Nov 2013Invoice ProcessingFormer Employee, more than 5 yearsCaerphilly, Wales
Pros
Free parking. Free canteen. Near to Aber train station. Just off A470 - easy to get to.
Cons
Poor pay for clerical workers. I seemed to be regarded as an expense, not an asset. Office not great: Office was built in the early eighties, and does not seem to have much done to it since. Consequently the exterior looks very tatty, and certainly does not seem to say head office. The interior is a series of large open plan office floors, which are very noisy with a lot of people coming and going. The heating is also too hot in the winter so you will come home soaked in sweat. The air conditioning is also too weak, so in the summer it is again too hot, and everybody has fans on their desk rattling all day. The office furniture is also quite old - lots of chairs that do not adjust, broken locks on cabinets, ten year old desktop PCs, etc. When I was there, the hot taps in the ladies did not work, and the soap dispenses were often empty. Also, the water coolers produce water at a laughably slow trickle. This is a company that does washrooms and water coolers as a large part of its business! The office is not a pleasant place to be, and needs a major refurbishment. Aggressive and bad managers: The managers seem to subscribe to the Gordon Gecko school of people management in the fact that anybody that struggles with any work, falls even slightly behind schedule, or comes in ten minutes late gets disciplined in quite a heavy handed way. Don’t be fooled by the pally act of the managers - they will throw people under a bus in a second if it makes them look good - think David Brent. Managers also have a disinterested , get-it-done attitude to their staff. There are monthly review meetings, but they are not two way exchanges and are much more “why did this take so long” , “you need to do more” meetings. I don't mind hard work, but when you work flat out and still get criticised - it just makes you go home and update your cv. Managers also think clerical staff can do three things at once, and everybody wants you to treat their work as top priority, which combined with the aggressive attitude of the managers, and the constant “done it yet?” interruptions makes for a very nasty and high stress work environment. Staff were often put in positions where it was impossible for them to hit all their objectives. I personally left for the evening in tears quite a few times. Over emphasis on extracurricular activities: You will get heavily pressured to attend social events, and questions will be asked in a semi disciplinary approach if you do not attend them. Some of us have husbands and children to go home to! Outdated business practices: No social media presence. No e-commerce. Pointless meetings that only exist to give managers something to do. No flexi hours - be in at 9AM or god help you.
5 - 3.018 Mar 2023Service ManagerFormer Employee, more than 1 yearWakefield, England
Pros
Great network of mangers in similar role. You need these to learn the role. Good opportunities if management think you’re a good candidate (you’ll struggle if they don’t). Really decent HR Dept.
Cons
String elements of bullying up the chain if you’re seen to be ‘failing’ although this is often outside your control. Poor initial training programme for new office based staff. Left to blindly find your way around. (There are some gems who can help but not for every task). Your line manager will have their hands tied and this at times means you have to take part in things you don’t agree with. Very cliquey and you have to be part of this to get anywhere. You can find yourself working way too far into your own time with no recognition of this. In 22 years of people management, I came away thinking I was bad at my job which was all down to 1 person high up the chain.
phs Group Response6moHello, Thank you for taking time to leave us a review, we appreciate your feedback. Your review will be shared with the senior management team so they can take your feedback on board. If you would like to share anymore detailed feedback then please contact me on elispearson@phs.co.uk Kindest regards, Elis Pearson- Resourcing Manager
- 4.022 Aug 2018Head of ProductionFormer Employee, more than 3 yearsTamworth, England
Pros
I joined PHS in 2014 and have enjoyed my time with the organisation. For me, the biggest Pro's of working for PHS Greenleaf have been.... The great colleagues I've worked with over the past 4 years. There are people in this company who for some its more than just a job. There is a lot of care and determination for the future of this business. They have invested a lot of time and sweat in the past. Be their motivations the products, the customers they serve, their colleagues. It is very rewarding to hear people (staff and customers) talk passionately about our products. Greenleaf's offerings are created more for their aesthetics than functionality as with PHS other divisions. We are in an industry where the margins are fine, so balancing up beauty and creativity with the economic demands has been an important part of my job, to give our customers value for money, whilst returning a profit. The levels of support open to us. Be that help from HR, Accounts, IT, HSE, Transport or Procurement. Working in a large organisation there are many experts to go to when you need to. On a personal note, I have always enjoyed problem solving. Barely does a day pass where I don't receive an email or phone call looking for a solution or a compromise to an issue. I hope in most cases they've been achieved.
Cons
Industry knowledge is essential. Horticulture for example, is a very unique business. We can't necessarily apply a model or strategy that works well for Washrooms or Teacrate and expect it work as well for Greenleaf. Greenleaf has undergone many changes during my time. Change is important and essential, if done well. There's often apprehension and mistrust towards change, its human nature. It's important to involve people into the process and contribute to the improvement. My perception has seen this business sometimes do this well and sometimes poorly. You need the guys who deliver the result to buy in if you want any project to succeed. Local knowledge is absolutely essential. Trusting the decisions of Service Managers and their Technicians. Wherever you sit in an organisation, its not about right or wrong opinions. Different perceptions, but all should form part of the decision making process. A personal one, but often echoed by other management colleagues. Specialist managers being turned into generalists. Balance is required here. It is understood that there are many responsibilities outside your preferred remit. But reviewing the working week and you find significantly more time dedicated to general tasks, and less to the specialism you were brought into the business to deliver, can lead to frustration.
phs Group Response6yHi, thank you very much for taking the time to leave us a comprehensive review. You've raised some interesting points and we'll be sure to pass all of your comments onto the relevant departments. Thank you again and we wish you luck in your future.
- 5.024 Dec 2019Resource CoordinatorCurrent Employee, more than 3 yearsCaerphilly, Wales
Pros
Manager is really supportive and eager for us to learn. There is potential to progress in my career.
Cons
Not enough staff benefits that could potentially help employees stay longer within the company
- 1.017 Nov 2017SalesCurrent Employee, more than 3 yearsLeicester, England
Pros
mmmmmm I can't think of any
Cons
Terrible Service - Terrible Customer Service and Terrible Managers
1 - 4.017 May 2018Anonymous EmployeeCurrent EmployeeCaerphilly, Wales
Pros
I’ve worked at phs for a few years and loved the teams I’ve worked in and how the company works as a whole. It always seems that everyone has the same end goal in mind and all teams work together to make sure it’s met. I currently have a great manager! She’s new in phs terms (less than 2 years service) but her approach to everyone is great and she touches base with her team daily. There are a lot of employees with more than 10 years service, that speaks for itself!
Cons
Consistency isn’t always evident across the company
phs Group Response6yHi there! Thank you for leaving us a review, it's great to read your feedback and really good to hear you feel you have a great manager. Thanks again for your review and we'll make sure we pass all of your feedback on.
- 1.014 Dec 2021Field TechnicianCurrent Employee, more than 5 yearsLondon, England
Pros
You get a wage They won’t go under as they have a big owner Some good managers at a local level
Cons
The culture is poor, lots of talk about improvement but they want more and more from people that are knackered Managers powerless and scared of senior team No benefits they even dress up 20 days holiday as a benefit Operations paid minimum yet they pay agency £2per hour more Lots of customers complaining New owners/senior team have not improved anything lots of people leaving in the past few months for better jobs
1phs Group Response2yHi, thanks for taking the time to tell us what you think. We are interested in what our colleagues think and we are taking action following the survey we ran last year. Some changes have already been announced and more will be announced in the next few weeks. I agree with you that colleagues who are treated well provide a great service and this is something we want to see right across the business
- 4.030 Nov 2018Anonymous EmployeeCurrent Employee, more than 1 year
Pros
Working for phs has opened my eyes to what the company is about! - it does a lot more than sanitary bin ! Team & manager are supportive - always willing to help you when they can.
Cons
Company benefits could be better
phs Group Response6yHello, thanks very much for taking the time to leave us a review. We do a lot in our industry and you're right in what you say, a lot more than sanitary, especially this time of year where are teams are out busy installing our amazing Christmas tree selection. We are glad to heat that you feel you have a supportive team and manager that are always willing to help, we see a lot of feedback about out people and it makes us happy when we see it mentioned in reviews. We'll make sure we pass on your comments reference our company benefits to our management team, we do have offers that are available through our intranet, be sure to head over and check these out. Thank again for your review.
