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Wheelies Direct

Is this your company?

Not so positive in the last couple of years - Senior Software Developer Wheelies Direct Employee Review

2.0
Feb 19, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Wage is very competitive for the area. Very friendly and welcoming staff within the development team and mostly the business. Management not so strict with family emergencies and are understanding when it comes to kids. Every now and then working from home is allowed.

Cons

Child company to Tredz Bikes Benefits and pension package is extremely uncompetitive from what a developer might expect in this day and age. And if the company is not careful, many future employee will be in pursuit of a better pension and benefits packages elsewhere. Resources are short with no budget or view to replace key staff who have left the business recently. Sickness policy is very poor and does make you feel stressed when Ill. No bonus offered to employees, which is extremely annoying considering the growth the company has seen in recent times. Much of the development team undertake out of hours work which is fine, but you don't get extra pay, Instead you're offered TOIL. I'd like the option for additional pay, as TOIL isn't always preferred. Lack of budget for training/tools/software/staff. Confused planning and rash decision making regarding projects/timelines/deadlines/business needs and the sheer amount of interruptions when mid way into such tasks. Staff surveys are a yearly thing but are always ignored... What a waste of company time and resources for them to be ignored. Development environment is completely unsuitable the way the Devs are asked to work. So for me, it proved to be a hindrance to my day to day. No separation between development and support, Devs are frequently asked for 1st or 2nd line support while going through a sizable projects. Very out of date programming languages are used to support certain departments and despite the technical debt, no view to rewrite. Constant fire fighting. Never celebrate success. 40 working hours a week, where most developers work 37.5 hours a week. Lack of training offered unless Welsh assembly government offer grants. Forced third party warehouse management systems with no planning as how how it'll benefit (or lack of) the company.

Explore other reviews about Wheelies Direct

2.0
Sep 28, 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

There aren't many positives to working there to be brutally honest. The staff discount was great. Team members were mostly a pleasure to work with. The company owners were quite nice and approachable. Their recent purchase by halfords will hopefully improve the prpblems at the company.

Cons

Micromanagement was pretty rife. You are seen as no more than a tool for the company. The pay is some way below average. Marketing frequently over-stepped their bounds into issues they had no knowledge of, or any business meddling with. The building was bitterly cold during the winter months. The open office environment felt like an excuse to be watched over by management. Some of the management seem grossly under-qualified for their job.

1
1.0
Nov 25, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

If you enjoy cycling you get a staff discount and the opportunity to learn about new brands and models. The majority of staff on the floor are fairly happy and there was a nice buzz at times.

Cons

Management was abysmal. Too many cooks spoil the broth and this was the consensus for most people. Those in charge were either there because they were related to someone or they "brown nose" those above them. There is very little scope to progress and any new ideas are quashed without any sort of discussion. It was extremely frustrating having your hands tied behind your back.

2
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