During my time at BaxterStorey, I experienced a toxic and deeply unsupportive working environment. The culture was characterised by bullying, discrimination, gaslighting, favouritism, poor communication, lack of accountability, and extremely unprofessional management practices.
Management consistently failed to address inappropriate behaviour or workplace conflict. Concerns were dismissed with comments such as “that’s just how they are,” rather than taking any meaningful action to protect staff wellbeing or maintain professionalism. There was a clear reluctance to challenge problematic employees, which allowed bullying and gossiping behaviour to continue unchecked.
I was openly told that my medical condition (which is classified as a disability) was becoming “a hindrance to the company” and impacting colleagues’ social schedules. This was both upsetting and discriminatory, especially given that my condition was entirely outside of my control. Despite requesting support and reasonable adjustments, none were properly implemented. At one stage, I was told I could use a different desk following a colleague leaving, but no assistance was offered to physically move or set it up, despite management being aware I was unable to do so myself.
I was routinely assigned undesirable shifts, difficult work patterns, and expected to carry demanding events throughout busy periods with little support. Eventually, I was given unrealistic performance targets with only a two-week timeframe to achieve them, which felt less like genuine performance management and more like an attempt to push me out rather than offer support or flexibility.
The environment overall was toxic, cliquey, and emotionally exhausting. I was frequently belittled, gossiped about, verbally undermined, and subjected to derogatory and inappropriate comments from another team member. Despite raising these concerns with management on multiple occasions, no meaningful action was taken, and the behaviour was continually ignored and allowed to continue.
Following my departure, I attempted to raise a formal grievance regarding my experience. Unfortunately, this process only added further stress, as I felt I was met with bias, dismissiveness, and further inaccurate claims from former team members rather than any genuine attempt to investigate concerns fairly. Ultimately, the impact on my mental wellbeing was not worth pursuing further, particularly as my priority at the time was trying to secure new employment and move forward positively.
If you are looking for a company that genuinely values employee wellbeing, inclusivity, development, and support, this was not my experience here.
