Pros
The only perks are free coffee and the rare office party, assuming you’re on the guest list.
Cons
The culture is toxic from senior leadership down to the central support functions and everything in between. Almost no one feels valued or engaged unless they are closely connected to someone in senior leadership. • The People/HR function is largely ineffective and unnecessary in its current form. With such a large team, there is no need for a dedicated head of recruitment, and many responsibilities could easily be outsourced or handled differently. Decision-making relies almost entirely on the head of HR, leaving little autonomy for the rest of the team and creating bottlenecks in even basic processes. Outsourcing or completely restructuring the team could solve many inefficiencies and lack of accountability. • Advancement, protection, and influence are driven by personal connections rather than performance or professionalism. • Serious concerns raised through internal channels are often ignored, reinforcing a culture of low accountability. • Management is heavily London-centric. Employees outside London, or who do not travel there regularly, are largely invisible to leadership. • Staff turnover is extremely high, with many leaving for roles at companies with better culture and management. Departing employees are sometimes asked to sign waivers, which reduces transparency. • Significant resources are wasted on the current People/HR function. A major restructuring or outsourcing of the team could save the company a substantial amount of money while improving efficiency and accountability.