Pros
Wage - The wage of £8.53ph to spend all day, working typically 8.5hr shifts (inc 30 min lunch + 2 15 min breaks) from 08:00 - 21:00 isn't too bad. Saturday is normal pay but Sunday is 1.5x (£10.66). Shifts - You have a few options of shift patterns - some do lates one week (starting at 11.30 - 12.30 and finishing at 20:00 or 21:00 respectively) and earlies the next (starting at 8 or 9am and finishing at 16.30 or 17:30). These vary in so much as you might start at 08:15 or 09:45. Some, including myself, have a varied shift pattern, working a mixture of early and late shifts each week. Manpower rep on site - Handy having a Manpower Rep, now on site full time (wasn't the case before 2018) as well as the BT management structure. Location - The location near central West Bromwich is good, Bus station is a slow 10 minutes or speedy 7ish minutes away, through New Square which has big Tesco etc (see New Square shopping in West Brom for more info). Benefits - Manpower staff get the same benefits as BT staff, i.e. free Infinity Internet (but you have to pay line rental (£18.99 assuming via direct debit), free BT Sport, Free BT TV, and a few other things.
Cons
No more conversions - I was told when I start last April/ May, as was everyone else that started at BT prior to 2018, that one would be employed by Manpower but then the contract would be converted to a BT contract in around 9 months, assuming not too many absences/ poor performance etc). BT staff, doing the same job, get paid thousands more (4 or 5,000 I think) and when one has a BT contract one could get out of the call centre and go to work in BT Sport, Openreach, etc. We were told a couple of months ago that no one else is being converted, and the only way to be employed by BT (and so get a permanent contract with more money) is when BT start advertising, which may not be in 2018. Manpower remain advertising and we constantly see newbies in the call centre, whilst experienced staff leave in search of a permanent contract. Some have worked for Manpower for 18 months having been told by Managers to wait until next month, next month. Temporary contract - Temp contract has the benefit of only needing a week's notice, but trying to get a loan or mortgage etc is tricky. BT staff get paid more - People that happened to have been employed when staff were converted, doing the same, no more senior role, get paid monthly and get paid, as I said above, at least £4,000 more, if not £5k. Manpower rep - Though it's nice having full-time rep on site she remains new to the role and so asking for information either takes some time to get or one gets it quickly but it's wrong. Manpower benefits - Manpower are larger than BT, but the benefits you get as a result of being employed by Manpower are dismal and I don't know anyone making use of them. Working late - I don't think anyone likes leaving at 21:00 for no higher a wage, though some don't like getting to work for 08:00, and sometimes you have a 21:00 finish followed by an 08:00 start. If you live outside West Brom this will mean maybe 6 hours sleep. Development - partly because of not being employed by BT I think, becoming anything more than a call centre advisor is tricky. There are some that are happy just coming to work that don't have my ambition, though.
