Computacenter Reviews

I have been working at Computacenter full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – Reasonable office environment, canteen, parking etc. General staff are friendly and quite a lot have been there for 10-15 years Company seems reasonably stable without threat of redundancies or large changes. Some very good technical people but don't expect this to be the norm in every department.

Cons – Management are technically incompetent in general, no 'techies' on the Board - the ethos is very much sales oriented, rather than specialists in IT solutions. This is true further down the company - management are all encouraged to chase sales and few understand anything about the technical side. Most managers are bonus driven so you're expected to toe the line and help them achieve their bonus even if their ideas make no technical sense.

As other reviewers said, it's very much a culture where your face fits and you toe the line to get promotion. Even the managers in semi-technical positions have got there because they fit the laddish profile that CC seems to encourage. For a company that now specialises in Managed Services, their support structures for Managed Services (e.g. remote monitoring and management tools, ticketing systems, etc) are very badly put together, but because none of the managers are remotely technical, they don't know this so nothing ever gets done about it. If you try to suggest something could be done better you're labelled as a troublemaker and given some clear messages that your career will soon be over if you continue rocking the boat.

Go to CC if you're married with two adorable kids, are a bit of a lad (not if you're a woman expecting any 21st Century attitudes to women in IT) like talking about sport and/or talking about drinking, once half-read a paper on cloud computing and now think you understand it, and don't mind smiling inanely and agreeing to whatever moronic technically inept plan your boss comes up with next.

Don't go to CC if you're looking for satisfying technical work, support from management, worthwhile use of your time, or like doing things properly or precisely.

Advice to Senior Management – Realise that after your Golden Boys in the sales departments make their over-promised and under-delivered sales, it's the rest of us in the technical department who actually rescue your customers infrastructure and enable you to get renewed contracts from them each year.

Just once, ask people what they REALLY think of your company and don't sack everyone who makes a constructive comment.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Computacenter full-time for more than 8 years

Pros – You get more money than being on the dole!

Cons – Managment dont care, career progression is about who you know and how much you kiss ass rather than ability, no pay rises, training to work in new roles terrrible.

Advice to Senior Management – Treat your staff as your assett rather than a hinderance to your profits, after how I was treated after 8 years of working hard for you if the comany went bust tommorow I would not lose any sleep!!!

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Computacenter full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – Multicultural and young environment. Some good colleagues along the way.

Cons – Giving suggestions, new ideas or even constructive observations can be interpretated as a threat to some employees in a management level. In some situations, being passive and low profile is the best way to keep the job. Open speech can be an open door to unemployment.

Advice to Senior Management – Employees in a management level (TL and DM) should be evaluated by all the staff in a regular basis. They would have to get a minimum value within a specific scale to keep their current roles. An implemented system of evaluation should keep things in the right track.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

I worked at Computacenter full-time for more than 7 years

Pros – The South African branch is well located and facilities include cafeteria, pool rooms, very central to everything. I worked here for about 6 years. There were always opportunities for those who worked hard.

Cons – Certain salaries could be better at consultant level. They are competitive at entry level though.

Advice to Senior Management – Compel specialists to get certified in their fields and don't be afraid to budget for it.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

I have been working at Computacenter full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – They do pay for training and the offices are nice.

Cons – Very much an old boy mentality in operation here. Your face has to fit or you have no chance at promotion.

Managers will often turn on the lower ranking staff if they need scapegoats when things are going wrong (normally down to their own incompetence) and their bonus is under threat. It’s very much a case of the old guard covering each other’s backs, they also resent people with drive and ambition and will effectively destroy peoples careers if required. Be warned at this company you have to look after number one as it's the companies ethos.

Expect no reward for working all hours. It’s not required it's expected.

If you do have a family you will have to get used to not seeing them, as hotels are very much the norm for CC staff and management do not seem to care either. You are an "product" to them.

The salary bands are also pathetic.

Its the worst company I have had the misfortune of working for.

Advice to Senior Management – I would not dare to say anything that could be deemed as offensive as my career would be over.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Computacenter part-time for less than a year

Pros – Easy work, young international people

Cons – Boring, slow Hardware, no changes

Advice to Senior Management – More space for ambitions

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

I worked at Computacenter full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – Most people either leave within 2 years or stay for life
Some really smart people
Huge market share
Good selling machine
No too bureaucratic

Cons – Very much who you know not what you know
Sexist - only one senior manager is a woman
Deals still close while at strip clubs

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

I have been working at Computacenter full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – There are some really good people that work there (none are management though)
That appears to be that.

Cons – I have never worked somewhere as bad as this. All(most) of the managers are technically incompetent and have NO IDEA of what IT is. Way too much back stabbing going on for the bullies that are proud of being a TL or DM. Too many Chiefs and..... you know what I mean. Exploitation, no pay rise for the last 3 years. Staff not trained on the technology they use which leads to stress and illnesses that could and should have been avoided.

Advice to Senior Management – There are too many incompetent managers and they abuse the staff and without these guys running your service desks the company will suffer more than it already is. Look after them and give them pay rises as they really have earnt it.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

I worked at Computacenter full-time for more than a year

Pros – Nice canteen in Hatfield office.

Cons – Pay is not great
Only company that I have worked in that has a habit if promising promotion to get people to work hard and/or stick around.
Impossible to get promoted if you are talented or your face is not right.
Too many incompetent/corrupt. managers around

Advice to Senior Management – Get out if your are incompetent/corrupt.

I worked at Computacenter full-time for more than a year

Pros – Flexible hours, clean building with decent kitchen facilities, some very good team members to work with, live streaming sport, cheap crisps.

Cons – Americanised corporate mentality, culture of bullying and intimidation, autocratic and technically incompetent management, uncompetitive pay rates, very little recognition of effort, no training funded unless you're management, no career progression unless you fit the Computacenter corporate profile and mindset, windows thrown wide open even when it's -10ºC with gale force Arctic winds.

I find it somewhat difficult to believe that there are actually some positive reviews about Computacenter as my time at Computacenter was without a shadow of doubt the worst period in 30 years of my working life.

It would appear that the key attribute Computacenter look for in an employee is 100% compliance rather than any sort of ability, aptitude or proclivity to do a good job. Question or challenge anything that may vaguely be construed as undermining management and your days at Computacenter are numbered. There have been good people at Computacenter who have been bullied, ostracised and ultimately ousted from the company because they dared to question line management decisions, procedures and practices…..and all with the blessing of HR. It truly is shameful.

In my experience, to get on at Computacenter it’s not what you know but who you know. A seemingly double figure IQ and the literacy level of a 14 year old appear to hold no barriers in getting a management position. Ingratiate yourself to those in seniority and indoctrinate yourself into the corporate mindset and you're all set to go. See Rod Corkhill and Rab C. Nesbitt.

As for the annual “Face Review”, where do I start with this utterly pathetic and inane nonsense. It’s gratuitous corporate show boating at its worst and a sledgehammer to crack a nut. What's wrong with a 30-60 minute face to face discussion once a year?

Computacenter would like their workforce to believe that the “Face Review” empowers them and offers the opportunity of career progression and increased remuneration. In reality, it is a tool for keeping people in check and justifying (in their eyes) no annual pay rise. You can't even make truthful statements or give honest feedback unless it’s what they want to hear. Comments that may be interpreted as being mildly critical of the company will be rejected and censored. It's a total sham.

Even discounting the obscene waste of man days every single Computacenter employee spends labouring through with this annual chore for 2-3 months each year, the cost of running and managing this tool must be astronomical and perhaps one reason why Computacenter’s level of pay is below industry par and why very few people get annual pay rises.

I'm glad to have moved on.

Advice to Senior Management – Treat your employees with fairness and respect. You may not realise it but they are your greatest asset.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company