15 Feb 2019
Nice People, poor pay and facilities
Anonymous employee
BRE Group reviews about "facilities"
62% positive business outlook
Reviews by job title
7 reviews
1.0
16 Apr 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook
Pros
Some interesting work & a lot of very capable people at an operational level.
Cons
Constantly short of money & an ever changing set of overpaid Executives who don't really understand the sector. Lots of redundancies & poor facilities. Unfortunately I think it's inevitable they will go bust at some point. Grenfell has highlighted the compromises BRE makes for money.
4.0
8 Jul 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook
Pros
On the whole, committed employees and a strategy driven by strong values and ethics, good working environment, opportunities to get involved in interesting work that helps make a difference/benefit to society. Owned by a Charitable Organisation with a remit to build a better world, historically has contributed a wealth of industry knowledge based on research and science with some internationally successful products and testing services/facilities.
Cons
Some facilities are tired and in need of more investment. Some historical management decisions/actions have led to periods of unnecessary change, uncertainty and upheaval. The construction Industry (and Government) does not have the best record at investing in research and its own future (focused on short term) and BRE has suffered and declined because of that. More recently the company has been trying to seek and reinvent itself in a more digital and innovative way with mixed success.
2.0
20 Feb 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook
Pros
Ultimately most people who work for BRE do so because of their interest in the work that it does and because it really is a unique scientific institution where you can work on things that make a meaningful difference. Also BRE is able to attract interesting and highly capable people and the organisation has far greater potential than its current state and performance indicates.
Cons
The way the place is managed has a great deal to be desired. There is a serious disconnect between what they say and what they do, this is a problem at all levels, starting from the CEO down, where the 'optics' and the 'story' are prioritised over effective implementation . This culture of 'fiction' affects all aspects of the business from the strategy, financial reporting, expenditure control and investment, staff progression, as well as the facilities and business plans. As a result; Staff progression appears to be based on favouritism and the generation of 'exciting future ideas' not on actual performance. There is a serious lack of focus on what activities to prioritise resulting in staff, resources and investment being spread woefully thin. Salaries and benefits vary but are generally poor for the nature of work and location. They are able to recruit high calibre talent but aren't able to retain them, this is especially true at senior levels with many high performing individuals joining but then moving on. The facilities and IT infrastructure are generally old and in a poor state of repair. Overall BRE is failing to achieve its potential and will continue to do so without decisive leadership.
5.0
4 Mar 2020
Excellent career prospects, with hundreds of products to market globally. No two days the same.
Former employee, more than 3 years
Watford, East of England, England
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook
Pros
Great campus with facilities such as gym and sports groups, encouraging personal growth and innovation.
Cons
May need several modes of public transport to get there.
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