- Direction of strategy at Sage is constantly changing; project focus can switch without warning and new launches seemingly crop up overnight. This leaves delivery teams scrambling to get the work done with little resource or time, causing horrific stress that trickles from the top down and work that is poor quality .
- The infrastructure and processes are shockingly disorganised for a company this size. Most of the data and tools used to plan and inform work are unreliable and barely fit for purpose. The company refuses to invest in more training, resource or tech to help people do their jobs properly. Getting anything done is often a painful, archaic and manual process that barely anyone adheres to anyway
- SO MANY restrictions for employees and their work. There is absolutely no room for experimentation, improvement or creativity. We are also encouraged to be sustainable which means people have to carefully count their pennies for work trips to see their team, organise colleague socials, or expenses, yet the business will routinely fly select departments out for extravagant trips at overseas conferences, or waste cash on flying expensive drones around office sites for an end of year video…
- Recently told the business that we have to return to the office for a mandatory 3 days a week - no exception. This is after several office closures, huge backlash from staff and knowing that the existing offices literally cannot accommodate all employees. Not only does this go against their value of ‘flexible human working’ (not to mention that this is unfair and not inclusive to all employee needs ) it’s also not at all practical, sustainable or realistic. Unless you arrive well before 9am or DON’T go in the days you might actually need to (not so flexible at all really…) you will struggle to even get a desk to do your work. Most people then sit all day on teams calls. And that’s not even considering that some offices require paid parking or huge commutes. And if you don’t comply, you’re at risk of not only being held back from opportunities and bonus, you can end up on performance review. This all makes any time you DO want to spend in the office stressful and distracting but also scared of punishment any time you do choose to wfh.
- Part time, remote and work away contracts seem to be reserved the most senior, well-connected and smooth-talking staff it seems.
- Management training is lacking which explains why management is poor. Many managers don’t know how to do the job but have been given undeserved authority and power because they shout the loudest, while others have no skills to lead but have had the responsibility thrust upon them with absolutely no support.
- Promotion is near impossible and progression opportunities appear to be doled out at random - they are largely dependent on whether you’re lead by someone already embittered by the process and how generous HR are feeling on the day. Micromanagement, gatekeeping and gaslighting runs rampant and there is a refusal to share payscales or progression frameworks to help people move up. the only option is to overwork uncompensated until someone, somewhere decides it’s time for a reward
- There’s a frighteningly large number of directors and seniors but only a small percentage of them actually contribute anything useful. Most just push back on the specialist staff who are doing all the donkey work meaning that everyone has to comply even if it‘s a bad decision.
- HR are a challenge. Mental health issues get used against you at the first opportunity, processes are slow and if you dare to criticise the 180 on flexible working, you’ll be told to suck it up or leave.
- Teams are put under enormous pressure with unmanageable, ever growing workloads and no off-ramp. Some people are terrified to take time off and they constantly request that everyone go above and beyond - all the time! When anonymous surveys are sent out and results show the above, nothing is done with the feedback
- The company bewilderingly has an annual redundancy round. Everyone is in constant fear of their livelihood but still expected to do their very best work. Morale is terrible as a result.
- As you can see there are now tonnes of fake positive reviews - which says it all
