I think the biggest downside to Fourth is their pay structure. It's not transparent, there is no clear defined process and often you can eventually find out less senior people are on more money than you. Management don't listen and it's only when you decide to leave that you become a valuable asset and offered more to stay. But then it's too late. In my experience it seems the only way to get a pay increase is to either suck up to management or force the company's hand by threatening to leave if you have a skillset they can't afford to lose. You have two ends of the scale in management, either exceptionally good or horrifically poor. This problem manifests from the fact they often force internal promotions when it's not a fit. You often feel there is two companies the London (we get everything we want) and Macclesfield (who live by the standards and get ignored).
There is now huge instability in the company since they got taken over by Hot Schedules. They initially came in with a utopian outlook, the management that made decisions upset good employees and forced others out. These Managers themselves then left the business shortly after. Therefore you've ended up in a situation where good employees have left the business shortly followed by the poor management that forced them out. Strange decisions.
The culture is changing massively and all the great things Fourth did from a culture perspective and environment is changing. You are now ending up with an uncomfortable place to work with lots of the benefits disappearing and poor salaries still remaining.
Nobody is willing to listen anymore and often you get a response of 'there's very little I can do'. This doesn't really inspire when you don't have a voice, or realise your Manager doesn't have a voice.
Senior leaders in the team are leaving almost every month and the same script is farmed out which fools no one. There is a really dark undercurrent rising in the business and employees are becoming very nervous and worried. You are losing good people.
From a HR perspective I can't see any plan. The team in Macclesfield are great but you feel they are getting very little direction. I could not tell you who heads up HR from a UK perspective. It used to be John Walter but now I have no clue.
I reluctantly decided to leave the Company, when you realise all that is keeping you there are the friends you have made, it doesn't really bode well for your actual job and development prospects. A Company that has really lost it's direction, drive, focus and purpose, in my opinion. It's also certainly lost it's identity.
