Pros
Colleagues are friendly. Fruit in the office. Possible to work from home sometimes. Interns are paid.
Cons
Language Connect used to be one of the better translation companies to work for. This was true until the acquisition by The Hut Group (THG) in summer 2018. Unfortunately, since then, the company has changed beyond recognition; its values and culture of efficiency have been eroded, and the original staff have left in droves. Investment: company has a ‘sticking plaster’ approach to filling gaps and always looking for cheap fixes instead of investing in sustainable long-term solutions. Struggling to replace staff that leave, this is due to the (lower than industry average) salaries on offer, which is not mentioned until candidates have wasted their time completing tests and interviewing. Every team is understaffed and it feels like as soon as somebody arrives, someone else hands in their notice. People and culture: No HR since January 2018. Nobody to escalate issues to, or to take charge of recruitment and this is unacceptable for a company of this size and reach. The company’s ever-growing internship scheme means there are always young graduates willing to accept permanent positions. However, these interns turned executives then take on huge clients and assume massive responsibility but this is not reflected in their salary or job title. They will be expected to wait up to a year after passing probation before being made a project manager and given a small pay rise. Overtime cannot be claimed for extra hours spent on admin and some junior members of staff do it in the evenings or at the weekend to try and keep up. Inefficiency: Pre-acquisition staff worked efficiently and this was one of the best things about the company. Now managers spend most of their time chasing THG colleagues in Manchester to sign off on things that they previously had control over. Everything takes far too long and colleagues are increasingly frustrated. Tech – systems and processes have not kept up with the company’s quick growth and staff spend far too much time on manual admin that should be automated. Colleagues who have joined from somewhere else are usually shocked at the outdated technology we are expected to work with. Company is working on new systems but staff are too busy to spend time testing them. Very slow progress. Work/life balance – the company needs to move with the times and realise people have lives outside of work. You’ll be stuck in the office every night until 6 even on a Friday. Management know that staff hate this but are reluctant to consider new ways of working. Many employees have such high workload that they work past 6 on a regular basis. The long hours and low salaries are probably the main reason everyone leaves. It's not hard to find a better offer when there are so many translation companies in London. Poor employee benefits. Facilities – tiny kitchen, horrible toilets and not a sufficient space where staff can sit and relax at lunch. The basement office is unpleasant with no natural light or fresh air. There are too many desks for the space and staff are crammed in. Reading the reviews left on Glassdoor for THG makes for depressing reading and shows their true colours.
