My honest experience with the company.
Pros
The office environment is a welcoming one, with some very good & modern facilities due to the office move happening around the middle of 2021. Equipment provided is also to a good level and is very up to date also. Benefits wise are OK, such as the onsite gym and above-average pay. There's also groups that do specific hobbies such as sports for example. The meeting rooms, the technology they use and the way they are named is something to be proud of. The investment into equipment is evident and it's pleasing to know that working for an IT Company – you lead by example. There are some genuinely friendly staff within the company who would go the extra mile to make sure you're OK, will have a chat with you and help you out when needed. Especially in People & Culture, which you can see is a successful part of the business and achieving the outcomes it's meant to. You can also tell that the company do care about the client's, the SLA's and doing the right thing as any contracted & outsourced IT Company would do – this is not anything new however to the industry or the way in which an MSP is ran. As you can expect from the type of organisation, and some of the clients they have – Security is a big focus of what is done. Whilst it does slightly hamper collaboration and what needs to be done, it is with the right frame of mind & reasoning behind it so this is understandable. In terms of clients, the way they are handled from a strategic and sales mindset is good. Some of the methodologies I would disagree with (more on this below) but fo the most part, they actually want to find the root cause of the issues and solve problems. Some of the training given is quite good including the style, but for a lot of it – is either irrelevant or delivered far too early in comparison to a proper development path. The company also invests heavily into the relevant or current Apprenticeship schemes and providing this base for a young person to have an exciting career – which I heavily support the idea of growth from within especially from an Apprentice POV. However, some of the following may need to be considered by someone who is thinking about an apprenticeship, or any role, within Bluecube.
Cons
Unfortunately during my time at the company, the majority of the previous feedback from anonymous members remains the same. I'll try to break it down into some key aspects for other's consideration... Disclaimer – some of these are personal experience, some are observations and some which other staff feel yet are too scared of speaking up/coming forward. Parking: Not free, costs £50 on average a month. That's Milton Keynes for you, so not too much of a drama. Employee Onboarding: The company is growing, which seems a very good thing. This however is at such a fast pace, to the point that you go through the initial week of training (which is to a good standard) - but then you feel as if you're left to your own devices (dependant what team you get placed into) - regardless of the prior experience you have. Some of the training is relevant, some of it not. For members of the "sales" or "engagement" teams you will have to go through the technical training – even though it's completely irrelevant to your normal day to day work and you wouldn't have an account for some of it. You will also ultimately find that access logins, configurations, devices etc weren't all set up properly which especially being an IT Company, you can't get your head around. The fact however is that this has been a known issue for a while, and not much done to improve it. Staff: As a couple of the previous reviews have mentioned, there is full evidence of there being cliques within the some of the leadership & senior management. This then presents the awkwardness of sometimes asking for help, approaching them due to being new and not feeling part of the team. Regardless of the role you go into, and any level, you have some experience. This seems to be turned down at most points, especially if you have experience due to it not being the "Bluecube way" of experience (whether this is technical, service, leadership etc). This is a massive shame as a lot of the great individuals, knowledgeable ones are not those who have been with the company for the longest. Sales: There is a rather "weird" sales mentality & culture within the company. Whilst I like the idea of the company using Client Engagement Managers which embed themselves as the client's IT Director, as opposed to "Account Managers" who merely look after commercials of the account – the sales methodology is questionable. For example, some of it is branded as "unique", "new" or "different to other MSP's". Kind of a newsflash, it isn't. Every MSP (if they're doing the right thing) would go further in the questioning process and be honest about their approach, how they work etc. When you have experienced other MSP's or Tech companies in a sales capacity, and you do the comparison, it’s not unique. Service: You can tell that the company do care about the client's, the SLA's and doing the right thing as mentioned above. One thing which is clear however, is that the way in which this is done. Not sitting in the Service Delivery function (and quite fortunately too) - some of the junior or senior engineers are often spoken to in a way which is hugely demoralising. There are of course SLA's to meet, there is within any service based business. However, this is taken to the extreme and if people are juggling multiple tickets at the same time – there seems to be a lack of assistance of "pitch in and help" from the line managers. And speaking of Line Managers... Line Management: More of a personal one, but knowing this is also the case for similar people – there is a lack of continual development within the business from what I and others have experienced. You would imagine in a company of this size, the roles are more defined and therefor – staff with leadership roles have the chance to enact upon these. Within the Line Management aspect as well, the subject of personal development/appraisals is one to be questioned. Whilst some of the managers who are new, outsiders etc do actively do this – a lot of the ones who have been promoted do not seem to take much interest. There is also a question in regards to the style of line management portrayed within the company. Whilst again some perform admirably opposed to others, there is a rather stiff culture within the company of "do it or suffer" without any real help, guidance or mentoring. I of course cannot speak for other departments and against the good people, but when you sit within the main floor/space of the office around the other departments/teams - it does make you wonder. Mentality: The last point being revolved around the vision, the culture (ever-changing) and the ethos of the company – is questionable at most. One of the things which you would expect about being presented/given the right equipment to do your role – comes with uniform and company clothing. There is however a policy in which you don't !qualify" for this until a certain period of service with the company. This is hugely demoralising especially to someone new to the company, because you want to feel as if you do "fit in". Now there is a caveat to this that the company went through a rebranding and, for the time being, it seems everyone is getting new clothing/jackets BUT – it would be nice to be presented with some on your first day as a method of inclusion. All of the above creates an awkwardness about the role & working here. Having spoken to other people who USED to work at Bluecube prior to me starting & in the role, it makes you wonder if the reason they say they left – is actually sugar coating it. And finally..... Advice to Applicants..... If you see a job at Bluecube and you think it's of interest, apply for it. Go through the interview process but you need to ask yourself, and the hiring manager(s), the following... • What is the rate of progression? • Will I be challenged enough? • Will I be listened to, and my feedback taking seriously? • Do I want to have a voice within the company, or fall in line? • How would you, the owner or manager feel, if negative reviews were presented to you? • After my tenure here, what would I leave in my review of the company? Would it be positive, or negative? • Can I experience the culture? If you have a gut feeling that ANY of the above could go wrong, then and only then decline a role here.
