Chess ICT Reviews

3.6

66% would recommend to a friend

(272 total reviews)
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David Pollock

76% approve of CEO

66% positive business outlook

Chess ICT has an employee rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 272 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Chess ICT employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Information Technology industry (3.9 stars).

Reviews by job title

272 reviews
1.0
18 Feb 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Chess will literally take anyone regardless of their qualifications & experience as they recruit on “Attitude and Energy”, so if this is your situation you can get real experience for your CV. However, you should avoid if possible as the company grows by acquisition, that means there is a LOT of disruption while new clients and staff are on-boarded after an acquisition. Most acquired staff are made redundant as their roles are swallowed up by head office, though this may not be apparent immediately it WILL happen. I am lucky enough to be working alongside some super talented people, unfortunately they are dwindling rapidly as the local management are very poor at retaining good people. Some BIG roles have been left recently and not replaced, this has caused major uncertainty for the Scotland offices.

Cons

The workplace culture is second only to a CULT environment, such a shame really as the basic principles are fantastic however the execution is bad, very bad. The hardest part of working for Chess is dealing with the CULTURE and lack of LEADERSHIP, remote offices are forgotten about and then criticized for not getting involved in charity events, surveys etc. Don’t be fooled by the No. 1 Best Company to Work Very RARELY do you see any of the head office leadership in Scotland, this makes life difficult with the constant changing of structures and strategies. Nobody really knows what the goals are from one day to the next or who is in charge. Don’t work for Chess if you are expecting to be paid the industry standard for the role you have. Wages are low by comparison.

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Chess ICT Response
7y
HELLO! Now you know me well and you know I’m there regularly and really care about the teams in Paisley and Edinburgh. Acquisitions are never easy I admit that but I only ever want to help you create a culture that’s right for your site. Please call me and let’s talk about what we can do to help you feel differently. I’ll even buy you lunch and promise not to do anything cult like during the meeting!!
1.0
8 Sept 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The staff, and people you work for are all in the same boat (most of them) so you all feel that you get to know everyone quite well. Built some strong relationships whilst there.

Cons

Well..... now i'm out I ca write the truth! Best Companies - is a farce - your told that you WILL be completing the survey and made to sit in a meeting room with sweets, chocolates, lovely refreshments, music of your choice I the back ground... all whilst watching you ensuring you do the survey, and everything is as nice as pie! "Do you feel coerced into your answers for this survey?" - yeah but I daren't say it! If your not in the IN CROWD is doesn't matter how much work and effort you put in, as the person in the clique will be the one that gets the promotion whilst you do all their heavy lifting! no interview required! DP's Happy training - you having a laugh! it was all brain washing crap, if you don't do this , don't do that you get a letter of concern and a bonus deduction, knowledge tests that would lose you money. They wanted YES people and when you challenged anything (the blueprint says you can challenge), you were being disruptive and would have some from of HR meeting. Do as I want you to do, and then when we find out your way was better we'll say management came up with the idea! A colleague told me when they left it was like leaving an abusive relationship - you wanted it so badly to work as you had all this love for your teammates, but then it all comes crashing down by Management - who don't have a clue what they are doing - except for treating you like children. Phew that feels better - like counselling!

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Chess ICT Response
5y
Thanks for the feedback below. I am sorry to read your comments after 5 years with us. There are numerous opportunities for honest feedback provided to all of our People, feedback which we take seriously and use to contribute to our Strategy. The annual Best Companies survey is one of the most valuable mechanisms we use and one which takes a prominent role in our annual calendar. The anonymity and reach of this survey makes it especially useful for us as we continue to strive to be a Great Place to Work. Feedback of the day is that people enjoy the music, refreshments, huddles and pub-club, and I am sorry to hear that you didn’t feel the same. Likewise with our Award Winning Happiness Training, which over the years has provided popular and beneficial to those both inside and outside of Chess. Please do feel free to reach out if you wish to discuss further and good luck in your next role.
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Glassdoor has 279 Chess ICT reviews submitted anonymously by Chess ICT employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Chess ICT is right for you.