Where do I start? I began working at Kennedys in June 2019, I was a confident young woman with a version to move up in a company I was so excited to join, with global aspects and great values. HOW I WAS WRONG! There management goes against every single one of their values. The team were made aware that I had a learning difficulty (dyslexia). However, this is not something which stops me as a very determined individual with a great academic record.
Within my first week I was told that the workload would be easy and light to get used to the pace, I was used to this having worked in retail and dealing with 20 plus customers each day. How I was wrong, I was loaded with an uncontrollable amount of work from contracts, to job postings. We had a small manual which did not always help with work we were asked to do. As a new team member getting used to the systems it often meant the amount of work way overloaded the amount of time in the day. Although your contract says you are entitled to overtime it is a lie - they like to keep their budget low for admins at least.
My horrors continued with my first few weeks I remember sitting at a desk next to my superior who was on the phone to the person who had set me some work, whilst next to me they were discussing my work together which was not in the nicest manner. Therefore, the overall team, but not all were highly unapproachable most of the times anything said in confidence was spread around the team. Furthermore, the team was incredibly ‘clicky’ amongst advisors and managers, if you are an admin you might aswell be dirt on their shoe, you won’t even be asked for a tea or coffee. Going against their most important value being approachable, anything but.
This kind of bullying continued late into my time at Kennedy’s
i was under more pressure and stress than I had ever been under. I was riddled with stress and anxiety often crying my way into work, during lunch hours and when returning home. i never felt good enough to be part of the team, the once confident girl had been completely destroyed. The nail for me was despite working incredibly hard, putting the pressures and stress behind me to put my all into my tasks, I was called ‘exhausting’ by my line manager, the person who i was meant to have strongest bond with and trust the most. This was the most hurtful and disgraceful thing I have ever been called and to someone with a learning difficulty. I was shocked and went into a panic attack where I could catch my breath from this I decided to walk out. I was belittled by being told I would be missed and how much they did not want to me leave.. had they only listened to their CIPD lectures they may have seen that the kind of behaviours here are discriminative and could land them with a large court case.
My time here will never leave me, I will have to live with this nightmare for the rest of my life, I am truly traumatised by my experience even to this day I get upset by how disgustingly i was treated. I put my all into wanting to move up in this company and I was crushed in under six months. They are not approachable, straightforward, supportive or distinctive, they are the opposite as my experience outlined above explains.
My advice to the person reading this, if you value all you have worked for in life, your confidence and respect..DO NOT APPLY TO BE AN EMPLOYEE OF THIS COMPANY.
