Openreach Reviews

Pros

If you enjoy a challenge and are prepared to work hard, you will do well and receive recognition here. A healthy respect for work/life balance, remote/home working and supportive team working all help you achieve your targets.

As with every company, a lot depends on your line manager. But I have to say, having worked for over a dozen different line managers here, most are very good.

You may fnd that there are not many opportunities currently as the business is downsizing. But if an opportunity arises give it serious consideration.

The business has improved its service considerably over the last 2 years and is heading in the right direction.

Another good thing about BT is that they do not make anyone compulsory redundant, it's all voluntary. Of course, there is no guarantee that this will remain for good. But as far as I know there are no plan s to change this.

Cons

You will be expected to own targets that are stretching and a challenge. You need to enjoy hard work, otherwise it's no fun.

You also need to be prepared to travel (UK only in Openreach) and stay overnight occasionally.

Meetings and travel can quickly eat in to your available time, so you need to manage these closely.

Customers can be demanding and challenging. You need to be able to handle this professionally. You need to build close working relationships with customers and deal with them honestly and with integrity.

Advice to Senior Management

Respect you own work/life balance & set a good example.

Pros

Peer to peer relation ships

Cons

Some concepts of project management seem to allude senior management; not including staff labour costs within budget pricing !

Advice to Senior Management

Move all project, programmes , wether in operations or service, under a single arm and ensure project codes and not bucket funds are used . These should be allocated to individual project managers ( and not department heads). This so that not only will costs be tracked & managed but an individual who is directly responsible can be held accountable.

Pros

The only thing I provide to come to work are socks, pants and my sandwiches. All other tools and testers as well as job specific training is given. As is a van

Cons

Having a tracker fitted to the van which despite it being there to allow work flow by issuing work to the closest engineer already there have been calls saying why didn't your van move until 08.10 when your start time is 08.00!

Advice to Senior Management

Come out from the glass towers and actually look at some of the things you're asking us to do. Look at the cables in the ground and perhaps rather than punishing us for repeat faults you'll give us the money we need to spend to upgrade them

Pros

Working in the outdoors, problem solving opportunities. Left to get on with the job most of the time, and you can find the support you need if you're willing to make a few phone calls.

Cons

Archaic management philosophy, rule with an iron fist. Very quick to discipline and very slow to praise. Process bound with no flexibility. Revenue, quality and productivity targets are the be all and end all.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to your engineers - the front line know best a lot of the time.

Pros

The pay and leave for the job is very good for the industry we work in.

Cons

Considering we work for a communications company at times they lack tact in delivery of their future for the company!!

Advice to Senior Management

To come back to the floor before they make major decisions on the futures of the engineers.