Argus Media reviews

Where to begin? Firstly, don't be fooled by the sudden spate of good reviews for the company. My understanding is that management are very much aware of the horrible and insightful reviews they get here and are determined to change that. So what are the problems? A lack of training - a frequent complaint for several years but one the company doesn't seem interested in rectifying. As long as reporters can enter prices in a spreadsheet at the end of the day and write a small report, management will be satisfied with that. Training to do more than this simply does not exist. A lack of interest in investigative journalism - Argus makes its money from big energy companies. But it reports on them too. It creates conflicts of interests in theory and reality. Journalists with a bit between their teeth have been actively dissuaded from pursuing stories because of such considerations. An often poisonous atmosphere - this is probably the worst thing. It's not immediately apparent, and a lot of it finds expression on instant messaging between staff. The problem is quite simply that staff are treated in wildly different ways. New and liked by management? Have some shares that will be worth a fortune when Argus lists soon! Been at Argus several years but have a bit of warmth and independence about your person? Sorry, no shares for you! I have seen some staff being sucked up to by senior management because of their social connections, while others are summarily dismissed for their "negative body language" despite doing a better job. Others have been subjected to incredible rages on the part of senior management. Moreover, complaining about such things can be done, but you'll regret it because you'll find yourself with an invisible black mark against your name. HR will listen but invariably take the side of management. Don't get ill because they don't listen - there are stories of people complaining about the heat in the office because of faulty air conditioning units but their warnings were ignored. A couple of staff members collapsed and one had to go and have plastic surgery as a result. If you're a bright young journalist, don't come to this company.

The company has a serious problem with the way they pay and grade staff. Staff on the same team who do the same job can have salary differences of thousands of pounds. Even new starts/graduates with relatively little industry experience are told that this is down to prior experience or qualifications but the company seems to be able to pick and choose which is more applicable in each instance. There have been multiple instances when they have tried to pay people on the same initial salary different amounts following the completion of probation and they are extremely inconsistent in the salaries they offer overall. The staff turnover rate is really high and the new "incentive scheme" which is being introduced over three years is not going to help with staff retention levels in the slightest.