Potential with independence but poor onboarding and culture - Anonymous employee First Mile Employee Review

1.0
16 Jun 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The company has potential, and there are opportunities to work independently if you prefer a hands-off environment. I am grateful for the colleagues who have taken time to teach and help. I enjoy the after work social aspect.

Cons

Since joining, I've largely been left to my own devices with very little onboarding, guidance, or direction. Expectations are often unclear, making it difficult to understand priorities and succeed in the role. The office culture can feel quite cliquey and unprofessional at times. There is a noticeable amount of gossip, negativity, and complaining, which creates an unpleasant working environment. Rather than fostering collaboration and support, it often feels like being back at school. Another frustration is the lack of alignment between departments. Managers from other teams frequently assign tasks to our team that appear illogical, unnecessary, or disconnected from our actual responsibilities. This results in wasted time, confusion, and reduced productivity.

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First Mile Response
3d
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We're sorry your experience hasn't reflected the environment we're working to build at First Mile — this isn't the standard we hold ourselves to and we don't take feedback like this lightly. We take all reviews seriously and comments like yours are important in helping us identify where we need to do better. If you'd like to discuss your experience further or share more detail, please don't hesitate to contact the HR team directly at hr@thefirstmile.co.uk — all conversations are handled in confidence. We appreciate your honesty.

Explore other reviews about First Mile

4.0
10 May 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

*Great employee benefits *Relaxed atmosphere *Caring/ Flexible employer *Great sense of team spirit/ fun (from all role levels) *Busy- So days fly by

Cons

*Busy so need to be prepared/ organised and willing *Communication between departments could be better

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First Mile Response
4y
Agree comms between departments can improve. Having cross department teams like the Green Team launching will help along with our new social plan. Please let me know if you have more ideas, very open to them :-)
1.0
8 May 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Most of the people are kind, helpful and fun to be around

Cons

A new CEO gave a hopeful future for the company. Until it was announced it is publicly shamed ex-CEO of South West Water - Susan Davy. Susan has a historical track record of assisting South West Water in polluting waterways with sewage, making over 150 people sick and needing to pay out millions in damages and fines. What kind of b-corp company would hire someone with such a track record? Whilst this is happening, the rest of the C-suite are happily using company money to get trashed and allow managers to make obscene racist jokes. Everyone not in the C-suite is underpaid and overworked. There is no one person who isn’t burnt out and often people leave with nothing lined up. In a recession, people are left with no choice to stay and tolerate such a stressful environment.

2
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First Mile Response
1w
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We're sorry your experience hasn't reflected the environment we're working to build at First Mile — this isn't the standard we hold ourselves to and we don't take feedback like this lightly. We take all reviews seriously and comments like yours are important in helping us identify where we need to do better. If you'd like to discuss your experience further or share more detail, please don't hesitate to contact the HR team directly at hr@thefirstmile.co.uk — all conversations are handled in confidence. We appreciate your honesty.
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