Telefónica Europe Reviews in Dublin, Ireland Area

Former Employee – worked at Telefónica Europe full-time for more than 8 years

Pros – Flexible working hours
Work-life balance
Breath of responsibilities in the role

Cons – Move towards outsourcing all IT/network activities
Lack of career progression opportunities

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

Current Employee – been working at Telefónica Europe

Pros – Recognition given to employees "Going the extra mile".
Good commission and remuneration for work carried out.
Up to date training on devices and packages available.

Cons – Recognition to employees is only to Select employees.
If you EVER made a mistake in O2 it will be held against you and brought up too regularly and career path will be closed.
There is a strong Bias within the company from senior management levels. The chosen few will gain rewards and recognition the unlucky/unfortunate majority will be ignored or "Managed out"

Peoples abilities and dedication will not be recognized by Senior Management.

Advice to Senior Management – Realize that people can make mistakes and FORGIVE.
Recognize change in employees and acknowledge when someone has Overachieved.
Treat all employees equally and reward achievements as well as punishing errors.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Telefónica Europe

Pros – As a company, O2 has good benefits and is responsive to the needs of its employees.

Cons – I worked in the O2 PMO (project management office) and it was a very notable exception to the generally very good O2 work environment. Management attitudes were poor and micromanagemet and generally very poor support of staff were pervasive.

An example of the poor environment occurred when there were several permanent PM openings - not a single one of the 20+ contract PMs even applied.

Advice to Senior Management – It has been a long time since O2 was part of the public service (it was formerly part of the state owned telecom provider) and the overbearing and top down Irish public service management approach is very counter productive.

Current Employee – been working at Telefónica Europe

Pros – Great people working in a fast moving environment. Hard work will often receive real recognition and there appears to be real

Cons – People have been treated poorly in recent years and there is a disconnect between what is being said at the top versus the actual treatment of people on the ground. Many mangers only want to hear 'good news' and dismiss other viewpoints as being either disruptive or cynical. Morale is some sections is at rock bottom. Despite having all the skills 'in house', problems are not confronted head on rather they are removed, outsourced or restructured - this is quite simply a failure to 'manage'.

Advice to Senior Management – Use the huge expertise that resides within the company and really MANAGE instead of moving problems (and people) elsewhere.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Telefónica Europe

Pros – Good workmates within your own group who make the job a little easier.

Cons – Management planning things without telling employees until the very last minute. Announcing the outsourcing of the whole ~Technology Department at the earliest point in the process shows that tehy were planning it for the previous 3 years.

Advice to Senior Management – The motto of being bold, open, clear, and trusted needs to be reconsidered, as some of the issues raised in the last 14 months would show that management don't follow the same standards that are expected of their employees.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Telefónica Europe

Pros – Can gain a broad grounding in the telecoms business if you are willing to give up your life. Okay for a short stay 2-3 years.

Cons – Management expect you to put the job first above all other considerations.
Will continually place pressure on individuals to get results often with no real thanks when the job is finished.
The harder you work and produce, the more is expected the next time. There is an undercurrent of bullying, but hard to prove in isolation.

Advice to Senior Management – Realise that people are not machines that can be worked harder and harder without consequence. Employ managers that have done the job and not idiots that just understand numbers. Higher management need to trust their people to get the job done and leave them to it. Stop micro-managing.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Telefónica Europe

Pros – The company had great potential a few years ago,but now the only advantage is you get paid an average salary to do your job, and it looks good on a CV.

Cons – As others have said here, bullying is something of a major problem for this company. I have seen way too many blatant examples of this kind of behaviour, and it generally goes unchecked. HR seem to support this approach under the auspices of "driving performance". It seems that recent hires into the company are more suited to a role in a Call Centre then a mature organisation, and tend to disguise their inadequacies with bluster and intimation.

Unfortunately, the bullying rarely gets addressed, and complaints against aggressive behaviour are not usually accepted as such, and results in an oppressive and unhealthy environment.

Company senior managers are very much unaware of what the lower managers are up to, and their behaviours go unchecked.

Not a place to make a career, but ideal to get quick experience and move on. Company seems to go into a state of panic and "blame-storming" as soon as revenue targets go astray,

Advice to Senior Management – Fire managers that use intimidation or aggression as a means of driving their own self worth. Focus more on your people and the people who truly display the core values.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Telefónica Europe

Pros – The people the company does not realise the level of commitment form the staff

Cons – The rat race culture and the blame culture too many managers are more interested in covering their own backs instead of resolving issues. Also senior management have in the past told bare face lies to staff in relation to orgainisational changes the justification they give is to maintain the business as usual status.

Advice to Senior Management – Value staff more and treat them like adults

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Telefónica Europe

Pros – The people who work here on the ground are fun and eager to work hard. Depending on what department you're working in, you can be treated with a certain level of respect. Pay is slightly above average for the industry. Some great managers here, but they're a dying breed.

Cons – Bulling is rife. There is a culture of bullying in O2, mostly supported and encouraged by senior management. "Managing People Out" is a well mentioned, but unwritten, tactic of management where they will make your life total hell until you resign... so bullying is effectively a management tool for forced attrition. Bullying that is reported is generally brushed under the carpet, and many people have left because of it.

Advice to Senior Management – Get the culture of bullying out of O2 and you might actually get that 'Best Company to Work For' award.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend