Ocado Technology Reviews

Pros

I feel so luck I found Ocado Technology by chance. It is truly one of a kind place. The work is interesting and meaningful, the colleagues are nice and smart, the pressure is low, the work-life balance is good, and the pay is great. What else could I ask for?

Cons

I cannot see any, I truly love it

Advice to Management

Keep going, aim high! We can do it!

Pros

Almost everyone there is a pleasure to work with, you'll find people that are very smart but also humble and happy to help out, and at the same time eager to learn from you. Dealing with people from all over the hierarchy (which exists, but isn't thrown at you), is never a stressful situation and there's a genuine interest in solving problems, not finding who to blame. A very fast paced environment, where you'll... feel like you're building a massive airplane while making sure it's still flying (and you're inside....if you're wondering...). I'll list this in the cons as well since it's not for everyone. This company takes learning very seriously and it shows, everyone is allowed to take some time to learn and improve their skills, but of course, you then are expected to share your knowledge with people around you.

Cons

Fast-paced, lot's going on at the same time and sometimes it seems like we should just focus on one thing at a time. Some processes are still maturing, so not everything runs smoothly...but then again, tell me one place where it does... The complexity of the software, systems and the business in general means that it doesn't suffice to be good in tech, you'll have to learn about other areas.

Advice to Management

Not all departments are treated equally and that causes a bit of discomfort among the employees, more effort should be put into making sure this doesn't happen. Keep doing the changes that are been done recently, it's painful to some but very needed, most people agree with them. Keep being open and as transparent as possible, people appreciate that. With that in mind, sometimes things just take too long to be... decided, as an ex-employee I think it would be ok for the CEO/CTO/CxO to use this quote more often: “If we have data, let’s look at data. If all we have are opinions, let’s go with mine.” ― Jim Barksdale All in all, management is doing a great job.

Pros

There is a great variety of work. If you're not happy with the current team you are in it is very easy to move to another that is more suitable.

Cons

It's relatively well paid but does not compare to similar jobs in central london regardless of the fact that the work being done there tends to be more complex than your average software engineering job.

Pros

- The company promotes a friendly and positive work culture. - There is always opportunity to learn new things when required. - The company provides a comfortable rewards package, including a generous salary in addition to a wide range of other benefits. - Ocado works on some particularly engaging problems and allows employees the opportunity to work on new projects if requested.

Cons

- The Hatfield head office has become slightly overcrowded due to the company's rapid growth in recent years.

Pros

Good working environment and supportive culture

Cons

Nothing Nothing Nothing Nothing Nothing

Pros

Are already recognised as the de facto leader in their industry and are committed to retain this position. The prioritisation of "culture" is very different from conventional British companies because it's designed to promote fairness and collaboration and mutual success. Every day we face difficult challenges that require complex solutions, so delivering elegant solutions is really inspiring.

Cons

Successful employees need to be prepared to shed their personal agendas, so they can remove impediments and work together collaboratively. As a company that trades on the London Stock Exchange, not all employees are able to get full access to all information (legal issue to prevent against insider trading, market manipulation, etc.), so people need to learn to trust some decisions to others where they may not make... full sense at the moment... but ultimately will when further information becomes public.

Pros

Nothing good to say about this company.

Cons

Terrible company to work for! Beware before letting yourself swindled into going to work for Ocado Technology! This review is for the company headquarters in Hatfield, Herefordshire. Firstly they fish at the very bottom end of the pay range, for technology. They pay enough to make it within the bracket but no more! One of the possible reasons is that this company is bicephalic: one half is a traditional sort of... grocery delivery service which is really struggling and attempting to squeeze every ounce of profit from a mostly immigrant workforce, and the second is their so-called "technology" half which is yet to pull a profit. Ocado will try and wow you every chance they get with what they've recently attracted in terms of some cash from large grocery chains in the US but the truth is they do not know yet how they will deliver on their future engagements if at all. They have no solid plan, no clear cost schedule not even a team in the US yet and no clear plans of how they'll put one together! Yet, they base all their bragging on their future US expansion. Ocado management is a really terrible group of people! Firstly, they will pile on top of new hires a whole huge chain of management from day 1! Basically, everybody that is a manager in your team, will end up being YOUR manager even though in reality you will be managed by a team leader which may or may not know what they're doing. Whenever they have no idea what's going on (which is very often!) you will be expected to manage on your own! Note: they don't even have an official organizational chart! Heck, they don't even have a company seating chart! They have no idea who sits where or which ip belongs to which machine on their own network, yet you are expected to somehow "perform". Secondly, the "golden" rule for management is : it is always YOUR fault! Seriously, their managers NEVER admit to any fault of their own. If they get ensnared in anything, they will cover up the problem in so much red tape and nebulous policy that it will end up being YOUR fault anyway. There is no one to complain to if any issues should arise. There's no point in complaining to your immediate chain of command as they will interpret that as you not being a "good fit for the company". HR is utterly absent and whenever you get ahold of anyone, they prove useless; redirect you to dead ends or simply admit they have no idea how to help. The office itself is terrible as well. You either get a too hot or too cold desk and you are not allowed to bring a heater! If you log a complaint, forget it! They will never actually fix the problem. There are too few toilets and floors and desks are NEVER actually being cleaned! Every Monday you have to dust off your monitor yourself, for example. Everyone seems arrogant and self-interested and there is no collaboration to speak of. There is hardly ANY work/Life balance. Ocado has been fighting fiercely against any type of remote working opportunities but they will try and lie to you that they allow it, just to get you through the door. "Culture" at Ocado is basically once every two months they give you some free pizza, made locally in their kitchen to save money and you'd be very lucky to get TWO slices! They hardly pay for anything like learning, conferences or certifications, instead they organise some worthless "academy" classes conducted with questionable inside staff. They are really terrible misers. Avoid this company!

Advice to Management

Take a good look in the mirror Monday morning and see what a joke of a person you are!

Pros

A challenging project, many opportunities, professional team

Cons

changes/ideas have to go through many layers of management to be considered