DCP pay - Visitor Services Assistant Dalkeith Country Park Employee Review

Some great colleagues, lovely environment.

Terrible managers. Hypocritical leaders at every level. If you don't care about your work it's fine. You will regularly find disgruntled staff. Low pay, high expectations and very low capabilities at middle management.

Free entry for my kids to the play park

By far the worst company I have ever worked with…  let me start from the beginning, I occasionally went to Dalkeith Country Park for a morning walk and throughout that time I had an epiphany that when I turned 30 I looked at my current career path and wanted a change. I went into the Restoration Yard ‘kitchen’ and asked if they had any jobs - immediately I was snapped up and on the spot asked when I could start. With no real interview, I was only advised to send an email with my CV so they can have it on record as clearly that looks a lot better for the company. I was then asked which days and times I could work and to have this sent over via email also. I was given a start date less than a week later - bearing in mind I had NO hospitality back ground experience. I was asked into unofficial meetings to which managers told me how I was getting on and my progress within the company and how they felt I was doing. None of this was backed up by paperwork, hence ‘unofficial’ It was all sunshine and flowers to begin with which I guess most jobs are then it turned sour very quickly and my mental health deteriorated due to this. A former manager was given her position back after a year out of the business. This manager came back with a right vengeance and wanted everyone on tip top form but not by the company’s standard by her own, I am still yet to be introduced to this manager…. The managers became very rude and uncompassionate to all their staff not just myself. It was going down the path of a reboot daily working experience. Unfair criticism was given on the workplace floor in front of other members of staff and customers which I found very embarrassing and belittling however I was advised this was ‘normal’ as on the job feedback is how hospitality works. However, the chiefs want everyone  to think Dalkeith Country Park as a 5 star experience but never in my life have I been in a restaurant where staff are given on floor feedback 5 star or not. My time working there began to get worse as I felt like I was being bullied by members of staff constantly having something to say or advice on - now with NO hospitality experience I should have been given a lot more training not just unofficial chats. I was working behind the bar and had been in the company 2 months by this point and it took a whole 6 weeks for a senior member of staff to approach me to tell me the bar wasn’t being closed properly. Now I was thrown in at the deep end shown how to make coffees for a week (4 days a week I worked 10.30- 16.30) and then I was taken through the bar on what fruits to put in cold drinks, how to serve coffee, how to close and stock the bar correctly. Then told a further 3 weeks when I start my shift at 10:30 I have ti ensure the bar is stocked from them as it opened at 9am. This was due to a busy period within the restaurant during the school holidays. Never was I told this before and again had NO hospitality experience. I eventually raised a grievance to which was a shambles start to finish -the HR would call me out of working hours; email me and even text me. I was pulled into yet another few unofficial meetings and even asked to sort it out unofficially with the company as it didn’t need to go down the route of being official. However, I took it all the way. I had my grievance meeting with the manager who returned to company and HR the meeting was held and the minutes where taken for me to step out the meeting and return in 10 minutes to be told it was not being upheld. Once the meeting was over again unofficially, I was asked to go away and think about if this was the career for me and the manager would do the same. The following day I was in work for 35 minutes to be pulled away into yet unofficial meeting to be advised my contract was terminated. However, a couple of weeks before this my probation was extended for a further 3 months. I wasn’t given a letter to advise this either - just a walk less than 20 yards to get my coat and bag at the end of a shift and when I asked why the staff member told me she didn’t know or why it was left to her to tell me. Constructive springs to mind if you ask me. I then went further and had another meeting with the same HR and a higher member of the Buccleuch Group to which HR was only there to do the minutes again but had a lot to say on the points being raised and the high member of staff sat in almost silence. The reason I done this is because nobody should be treated the way I have although maybe more than I have been. My mental health was awful and still is not great due to this traumatic experience Dalkeith Country Park and their higher members of staff. It was unfortunate that I do not have the right to do anything further due to me not being employed for the company more than a year. Do not get a job at Dalkeith Country Park: you will be treated unfairly dismissed if you're not meeting personal standards of managers and you will be treated as if you're not a human being with feelings and due any respect what so ever: it also doesn’t help when all the management are very friendly and all for each other and not dedicated staff wanting to make a career for their selfs.