Build-A-Bear reviews

The worst thing about BABW appears to be the high up management. From what I have experienced first hand and from the experiences of those just above me who I have befriended. Our store as a start appears to be the black sheep - that is to say, we could beat our targets by thousands and still be scolded for not selling enough £2 passports... Management come and go like a revolving door because of the way they are treated. I've seen every mangement member who has come through our store in the last year cry - as a result of being disciplined on shop floor infront of customers for no real reason, or by getting abusive emails, or out of exhaustion after working for two weeks without a day off. I must admit that at one point i may have been considered a 'favourite', this was until i spoke up as i was fed up of being called n 24/7 and guilt tripped into coming in, then other days being sent home after an hour without an real reason. As a result, I had my hours cut and was given no opportunity to further my BABW career and try and change some of the massive problems there. The biggest annoyance is that BABW attracts a certain type of person, and then makes them leave after 6 months. Theres potential there, but with the current management style, they will continue to struggle.

In some areas of the company there is strong pressure (by management) to not speak up when an employee's ideas conflict with upper management. There is also not a lot of transparency into key events in the company or within departments. This can and did create a level of distrust and also stands in the way of information flow that would help the company as a whole. Management did not show appreciation for efforts that went well above and beyond what someone would have expected in an employee. Coupled with the fact that they expect a tremendous amount of dedication and effort, it was easy to get burnt out. Moral was low across the board. The people who cared the most tended to be the ones who ended up leaving due to this very thing. External partners were treated with more respect then internal employees were. Some members of upper management were very condescending and at times cruel in their treatment of employees. Raises and reviews were not based on individual performance and were often tied to goals that were close to impossible to reach.