11 of the worst companies to work for in the UK - as rated by their employees

Greene King, a brewer and pub company, runs over 3,000 pubs, restaurants and hotels in England, Wales and Scotland. While the firm is lauded for its “fun environment”, “good training” and “great food”, others complain of a lack of work/life balance and “poorly paid long hours”.
One employee review reads: “I was overloaded with 50-hour weeks when I first started, as the pub was losing staff left, right and centre. I literally became ill after two weeks of working there, because I wore myself out from the physical exertion. The pay is dreadful.”
Greene King were unavailable to comment.
(Images Group/REX/Shutterstock)

One employee at the bookmaker spoke of a lack of breaks, noting that this is one of the cons “you get pretty used to.”
However, employees say that the hours can be flexible, and that it is relatively easy to progress to more senior management.
A spokesperson for William Hill said to the Telegraph: “William Hill employs 13,500 people in the UK many of whom tell us they love their jobs – in particular the interaction they have with customers and colleagues.
“There has been a lot of change in the business in the last 12 months which has been supported by many colleagues but which some have found more challenging.”
(William Hill)

A recurring complaint associated with working at Holland and Barrett is that employees were left to work alone “for a substantial period of time”, as well as a “lack of bonuses for store managememt compared to comparable or even smaller companies out there.”
A spokesperson for the firm said in a statement to the Telegraph: “We are one of the very few high street retailers to invest heavily in regular, in-depth staff training and our A-level equivalent qualification in nutrition, which our store associates have to acquire, can take up to a year and invariably prompts a number of associates to find less challenging roles.
“Some will no doubt report their version of events on websites such as this although they do have the opportunity to feedback to us directly.”
(John Keeble/Getty Images)

“Low pay”, poor staff discount and a lack of attention paid to “providing good customer service” were some of the negative aspects associated with working at WH Smith.
However, a WH Smith spokesperson notes its positive staff retention, which has seen 10% of employees stay with the company for over 20 years.
They said: “Throughout our 225 year history WHSmith has been a proud employer. We value all of our 14,000 employees and work hard to foster an honest and open environment for them. They regularly tell us how much they enjoy working with us and c.25% have been part of the team for over ten years; with c.10% staying with us for over twenty years.
“Our people deserve the best and we’re committed to various on-going training programmes to help them learn and develop, including the mental health first aid course which we launched this year across both our stores and head offices.”
(Graeme Robertson/Getty Images)

Comments from employees surfaced last year in reports that its Rochdale warehouse conditions were “worse than prison.”
Employees on Glassdoor say there are “high demands for minimum wage”, “long hours” and “a lot of pressure”.
But on the plus side, employees said there was a “nice and friendly working atmosphere” with a generous 25% staff discount.
A JD spokesperson said: “We believe that the reviews on Glassdoor do not provide a representative reflection of the standard of our workplaces or our culture. The strength of our growing business is testament to our hard working and knowledgeable staff, the majority of which are exceptionally committed to both their own success and that of the company.
“We are committed to engaging with all our employees and invest heavily in their training and development. We employ over 26,000 people and the Glassdoor reviews represent an extremely small minority of both past and present employees.”
(Scott Heavey/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Betting firm Ladbrokes was criticised for issues of “lone working” and difficulty dealing with “abusive customers”.
But other staff noted that “flexible working hours” and the fact that there is “a lot of room for progression” were pros of working at the firm.
A Ladbrokes spokesperson said: “Working in the bookmaking industry is not for everyone but we regularly celebrate colleagues who have 10, 20, 30 and 40 years’ service so it does appeal to many.
“The beauty of democracy is free speech and the beauty of social media is freedom to air it, but we don’t think this fairly reflects the brand and would encourage anyone interested to come and experience the job before allowing others to make up your mind for you.”
(Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

With one of lowest employee rating on our list, the homeware and fashion retailer has been criticised by its staff for its low pay, which results in “low morale”.
One employee wrote: “Staff turnover is huge; if you are there for more than six months you are considered an old-timer.”
But benefits included generous staff discount of 40 per cent and a relaxed working environment.
A spokesperson for Laura Ashley told the Telegraph: “We are proud to employ over 3,000 people, many of whom have been with the company for a long number of years, and we know customers appreciate our friendly and knowledgeable colleagues.”
(Chadwick/ANL/REX/Shutterstock)

The Arcadia Group, which owns big brands such as Topshop and Dorothy Perkins and is chaired by the notorious Philip Green, employs over 10,000 people and operates more than 2,540 company-owned stores across the UK.
Employees at the firm are big fans of the 25% staff discount but “a lack of pay rises” and “no room for progression” means that “job security is a thing of the past”.
In a statement, Arcadia said: “In May Arcadia was voted number 3 in LinkedIn’s Top Companies 2017, this survey was based the actions of LinkedIn users around job applications, engagement with employees, as well as retention.” (Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

Caffe Nero’s staff members on Glassdoor complain of long shifts with only one 20-minute break in that time.

One employee wrote: “You are required to be at the store 20 minutes before your shift starts, otherwise you are marked as late. I was routinely asked to start work immediately upon arrival, so that’s 20 minutes of free labour you never get back.”

However, staff members also applauded the firm for its friendly working environment, generous food discounts, and unlimited free coffee.

Caffè Nero said: “At Caffè Nero, we have a long history of creating a culture of career development – employing enthusiastic, hardworking individuals and equipping them with the skills needed to run a small business. We offer great careers, invest in our teams and they tell us that they have fun at work.”

(John Keeble/Contributor)

“Decent staff discount” and “great team members” are some of the positives noted by Maplin’s employees.
But “awful work life balance” and “minimum wage salary” for entry level employees arguably push the firm’s overall score down.
A spokesperson for Maplin said: “We take employee satisfaction very seriously. We are proud of our most recent colleague engagement survey, conducted by an independent consultancy, which reported a net positive 77% response from staff. We are also introducing a new benefits programme shortly as part of our continuous efforts to improve the happiness and wellbeing of our colleagues.”
(Jacob Carters/REX/Shutterstock)

Wyevale Garden Centres is the biggest garden centre in the retailer in the UK has more than 150 stores nationwide.
Employees state that the pay is poor and there is a lack of staff. One staff member wrote: “Personally I do not feel I am going to have an opportunity to excel in anything other than customer service despite showing dedication to the company.”
But there are pros, with employees noting that the atmosphere is friendly and the staff hardworking, with good benefits and a 30 per cent discount in store.
Speaking to the Telegraph, a spokesperson for Wyevale Garden Centres said: “Colleague engagement is critically important and we actively encourage two-way feedback across the business. We are committed to creating an environment that supports all our employees and recognise the need to get things right for them in order to deliver the best for our customers.”
(Mykel Nicolaou/REX/Shutterstock)