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      IOLLA

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      IOLLA reviews

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      4.0

      66% would recommend to a friend

      (23 total reviews)

      65% positive business outlook

      Ratings by category

      4.1

      Diversity & inclusion

      4.0

      Work/Life balance

      3.8

      Culture & values

      3.6

      Senior management

      3.6

      Career opportunities

      3.4

      Compensation and benefits

      IOLLA has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 23 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there.

      Ratings by race ethnicity

      Reviews by job title

      23 reviews
      2.0
      May 21, 2022

      Complete lack of empathy from senior management

      Showroom assistant
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      The team in the Edinburgh show room is one of the best I’ve ever worked with. Iolla have the capability to hire wonderful people who I consider dear friends, the supportive network that developed throughout our time as a team was something really special. The supervisors within iolla are second to none and had the most caring, supportive approach to any needs of any member of staff, the store manager in Edinburgh also did everything they could have during the difficult times. The work is fun and engaging and getting to help people is a lovely part of the job. I had not a bad word to say about iolla for months of employment and planned to continue working for the company until they completely disregarded all staff and we were essentially forced out the door.

      Cons

      The senior team at Iolla not only lack empathy but have absolutely no understanding of how to manage a varied team. As far as I was aware, there was absolutely no training in place for management to support staff members with additional support needs, and if this training was in place, it was not carried through into managements handling of staffing issues. If you process, learn or execute tasks in any fashion that deviates slightly from the straight and narrow, this is not the company for you. Full time contracted staff had hours cut from 40 hours to 20 with mere days notice and part-time staff were cut with absolutely NO notice whatsoever, rotas were given out with no explanations until prompted to do so. This led to very significant financial, mental and emotional strain on numerous staff members, and effected the entire team over all. The complete lack of emotional intellegence within iolla’s senior management team is truly astounding. When these concerns for our teams mental wellbeing were raised to every member of senior management who would listen, absolutely nothing was done to offer support, an explanation from senior management never arrived. mid level managements response was simply ‘we didn’t know this was coming’, which is simply a ridiculous response. Leaving the store manager to handle the financial and mental struggles of over 10 members of staff is enough to show the complete lack of human connection within this company. Everyone about store management is patronising to There are also no routes for career or creative development in the role as promised.

      avatar
      IOLLA Response
      3y
      Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. We welcome all feedback, whether positive or negative. We are committed to looking for any ways in which we can improve. Your feedback regarding the team you worked along side is fantastic to hear. Culture fit is a huge focus for us, particularly throughout the recruitment and selection process - I am so glad you recognised this in your team members. Our learning and development journey for new starts and existing employees is an area we perform exceptionally well in. As HR manager at IOLLA, continuous learning and development is at the top of my agenda. Our Quality and Development manager is an incredibly talented professional who brings so much to IOLLA. We recently celebrated World Mental Health day in IOLLA - we have plans to implement Mental health first aiders across the business at the start of 2023. Again, mental health and wellbeing a huge priority for our senior leadership team. As for career development, several of our stylists have moved into managerial roles in the past few months - again, something we are incredibly proud of. We will always be looking to develop talent within IOLLA. If you would like to discuss your feedback in more detail, I would welcome an opportunity to do this. You can reach me through email directly - clairebrennan@iolla.com Thank you, Claire Brennan HR Manager
      2.0
      May 4, 2022

      A Hell Regimented by Chthonic Gods

      Optical stylist
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      -Fantastic showroom (shop floor) teams -Incredible and empathetic supervisors -Managers generally listen to shifting requirements (e.g inability to cover certain days, university, etc)

      Cons

      (1) Absolutely no HR department whatsoever. (2) Apathetic senior management: slashed our hours in half before Christmas, then the co-founder told us to "stay positive" and "look forward to Christmas", even though many of us could scarcely even pay rent with our demolished hours. Tone-deaf and clearly out of tune with their own workers. (3) Low pay for an emotionally draining role. (4) Likewise, lunch break (30 mins) is too short for such an emotionally taxing role (8hr shift filled with talking to every customer that walks through the door). Could use some breaks. (5) Training was incredibly rushed and many staff aren't reliable for optical knowledge; have to keep asking the manager for advice. Even a staff member got glasses and they looked quite clearly an awful frame choice for her prescription; even as staff we hardly know what to look out for when picking frames. (6) Lack of respect from upper management.

      avatar
      IOLLA Response
      3y
      Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. We welcome all feedback, whether positive or negative. We are committed to challenging the status quo and continuously improve. You're right - we do have fantastic showroom teams. Thank you for recognising this! Unfortunately, the list of 'cons' has some inaccuracies that I am keen to address. 1.We now have a HR department. As the head of this department, I recognise how welcomed I have been to IOLLA. 2. Our senior leadership team works incredibly closely with the showrooms on a daily basis. 3. IOLLA is a proud Real Living Wage employer as we believe in a fair days pay for good work. 4. We are advocates of rest periods and down time - we all need this to be productive. 5. Our training is extensive and the pace is tailored to suit individuals needs. 6. We treat one another with the upmost respect - no matter what role we work in. If you would like to discuss your feedback in more detail, I would welcome an opportunity to do this. You can reach me through email directly - clairebrennan@iolla.com Thank you, Claire Brennan HR Manager
      2.0
      Apr 3, 2023

      Loss of values and integrity

      Stylist
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      - The customers are genuinely lovely for the most part, and I loved getting to know them. The job role allows you to engage with people on a really personal level, often brightening / making their day. - The stylists I worked with are worth their weight in gold. Creative, intuitive, kind, committed. Some of the best people I have worked with in customer service.

      Cons

      - Genuinely concerned by newly introduced HR conduct. I had initially welcomed that the company had finally installed a HR department, however I have found their conduct with myself and other employees seriously troubling. The department should be setting a high bar for staff well-being and care, instead their highly defensive corporate approach and gross insensitivity has (and will continue to) seed distrust and division between showroom staff and management. - No longer offering flexibility on low hours contracts, having previously been cooperative. At time of writing most, if not all, non-management showroom staff are employed on 10 hour “variable” contracts. Which means you can have your hours reduced to 5, depending on the companies needs. This flexibility now only exists to benefit the company, however. As you would expect, low hours contracts attract either students or professionals with other commitments. For the majority of my time at Iolla this was understood and accommodated for, however over my last few months this respect and understanding rapidly declined and became a totally disproportionate issue. - The company has lost some really valuable employees over the last 6 months or so, either through redundancy or resignation. Employees who were very much part of a different (once forward thinking) company. In my opinion, the redundancies have contributed to the decline in positive experience at Iolla, losing colleagues in senior management who advocated for and protected the unique experience I had enjoyed.

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      Glassdoor has 23 IOLLA reviews submitted anonymously by IOLLA employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if IOLLA is right for you.