Does not value any staff - Customer Service Representative (CSR) Sykes Cottages Employee Review

1.0
5 Nov 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The staff are the ones that used to make the place great

Cons

Currently 150 jobs in tech and customer service and sales facing redundancy. Just before Christmas - shows no morals or values. Moving an already stretched department to kosovo after trying to make everything digital. So no contact with customers. Did not work so now still have a huge backlog of complaints to work through with no staff to do so. Staff are constantly shouted out by customers for poor management decisions and now they're getting sacked. Meanwhile other departments get taken abroad as rewards for work well done?!? Head of the company has a history of going into companies and spending money like water, then leaving when they crumble into debt. Not good with funds at all. Buys other companies to grow the brand instead of concentrating on good customer service to keep people coming back. The Syke's unhappy customers Facebook speaks volumes for the recent impact of management decisions. Bought other companies that now have crippling loan repayments. So saving money by getting rid of whole departments and outsourcing to another country to pay peanuts to staff.

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Sykes Cottages Response
7mo
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. I want to respond sincerely, not to debate the review, but to ensure future readers have an accurate picture, because people and their livelihoods deserve that respect. First, I completely agree that one redundancy is too many. No one ever wants to be in that position, and none of us take decisions like this lightly. But when you transform a business, some change is unavoidable, and when it is, we try to handle it with honesty and care. For clarity, the real figure is around 50 people from across the business, predominantly in customer service and sales, not 150. That doesn’t make it any less emotional or impactful, but accuracy matters for those involved. I am genuinely pleased that we’ve been able to redeploy a large number of colleagues into other areas and that we continue to have internal vacancies available. But I also fully understand that even with redeployment options, these situations affect people in very different and very personal ways. We were also intentional about timing, we made sure no one was placed at risk over the festive period, which is why this work started back in September. And finally, something I always say: come and see me. If anyone wants to give feedback, ask questions, or have a direct conversation, my door is always open. I’m happy to talk with anyone who wants to understand more or share their views. Stephen Joyce- Chief People Officer

Explore other reviews about Sykes Cottages

3.0
7 Jan 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Home based position so practical

Cons

Work under pressure, unhappy clients.

3
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