Once great, now much much less
Pros
Great colleagues and easy commute. Also sometimes extra holidays over Christmas.
Cons
Initially this seems like an amazing opportunity and it is without a doubt a great name to add to your CV especially if you're quite junior or fresh out of university etc. And in the beginning when I started it really was a workplace full of good vibrations (just like the Beach Boys song), energetic departments and an overall positive outlook. Now, don't get me wrong I am truly grateful to have had the chance at working for this company and I appreciate the things that I have learned from my managers and peers throughout my course there but sadly I must confess that it was an extraordinary relief when I resigned. The good outlook as mentioned above was either a phase that seased to exist or it was merely myself that was new to the company and unable to see through the veil of joy covering the truth behind the atmosphere at work. There was a slow but steady increase in people leaving, not only from my department but others too and the number of empty chairs and cleared desks began to add to an increasingly gloomy atmosphere. I also began to realize that a lot of people were not as cheerful as I assumed and that they were unhappy with their salaries, working hours and the lack of appreciation for the hard work that they put in when working over time (which seemed to be every day for some). Some people even stayed late just to stay late - and yes, that makes no sense but let me elaborate: in some departments it was almost seen as a bad thing to leave on time or even close to it and even if the people had nothing to do they would sit for about 30-60mins late just to show that they sure as hell weren't going to leave - and for what? I was astonished that there were people who actually felt bad for leaving on time and couldn't quite comprehend the situation properly but just went with the flow at the time. What worried me as well was the inaction from the managers and heads that seemed to not care that their previously cheerful, energetic and joyful departments were much quieter and the "buzz" was all but gone. Slowly but surely the passion was filtered out amongst the negative changes mentioned above and for me it was time to move on. Hopefully the company will begin to listen to their employees and strive towards stimulating that passion and motivation that used to exist in a bright and dedicated working environment. Should they choose to continue on the path that they were on when I left then I highly doubt anything positive will come from it.
