Pros
On the front lines there are some really amazing teams to be met. The CEO & Retail Director are inspiring speakers. When the values are put to the forefront & at the CORE of decision making it makes for a really positive & inspiring business to be part of. Staff discount is good. Uniform allowance is OK. Staff pay is great in Ireland and good in UK, not sure what it's like in the USA. The heritage & story behind the business is great-needs to become a focus again. The new store fits are AMAZING, as is the brand handwriting. The multichannel head of department is a true brand ambassador & really lives the values & is always open to understanding how stores are getting on & will always do what he can to support our teams even though this is not his responsibility.
Cons
Middle management is rife with pushy & inconsistent people. A lot of the time those with a brain or voice are suppressed, unless you're lucky/unlucky enough to be in the right 'clique'. There are some clear bullies in that level. The Carrot on a stick style of management is often a go to style of management that is used with store managers & assistant managers....but...like project runway one day you're in, the next... You're out. There's little to no development unless your in the clique. Personal opinions are unfair to those who have real talent & this is resulting in a lot of fantastic managers being overlooked. The area management hide a lot of issues from upper management and the board is now, I feel, out of touch with how the teams on the ground are really feeling. The best area managers are all leaving or have already left. The one's who have grown & developed great leaders within their teams are disappearing from the business in very quick succession on all upper levels & in Fat Base which is leading to more changes in structure above store and at base level. Communication is a huge issue with a lot of the area managers. We're expected to be 'inspired' & read the minds of our 'leaders' (loosest use of the word) & just know what we're supposed to be doing. If something is wrong there's no guarantee you'll even be given some alternative suggestions to help you try new things...To make it happen....personal touches are frowned upon by one section ofvtgat team & encouraged by the other... It apparently doesn't matter that their boss is all for trusting the store managers. A host of demotivated and frustrated managers & ASM's around of late across a chuck of the business. It's sad to see this as the brand was always focussed on being positive & fun....it was about embracing individuals & encouraging creativity. HR is a complete mess & always has been, this department really needs a complete overhaul of simple needs to be fully outsourced. There's little to no support here. It regularly takes weeks to get responses from them & never really see solutions. The team there is in constant flux and there's no consistency as the staff turnover rate is unfathomable. Finance are out of touch with stores & what it takes to deliver all expectations in the real world....again a lot is felt because of lack of communication between finance, area management and store management. Some staff in Irish stores getting paid more than UK management.
