Pros
I want to write a balanced, fair review of my time with Wren kitchens as an 'installation coordinator'. I want to go some way to explaining the reason behind the extremely positive reviews... and the more detailed, realistic ones. To be clear, staff members are rewarded for leaving positive reviews by way of Amazon vouchers. These over the top reviews are not a true reflection of Wren, but more of a bought and paid for story that they're trying to manufacture. Please take your time before you consider an office role to read a selection of reviews. You will notice that every review where someone has taken the time to write a detailed, honest account of their time with Wren will have the same key facts as the next. There is no such thing as job security with Wren. Despite the fact that I worked there over a year and a half, I never felt safe. Day in day out you will watch as some poor unsuspecting worker is tapped on the shoulder and pulled into the office to be sacked. How is it possible that you can achieve all of your targets, never take a day off sick and still fear being sacked? I swear, the day I handed in my notice was the happiest day of my life to date. I felt like I could breathe again. The floor itself is toxic. Young managers that are really just school bullies with a bit of power. Everyone is miserable. Toilet breaks are all timed. You can't chat to the person sitting next to you and if you do, just like at school, they will move you to another desk. You will receive tedious monthly reviews reeled off of a computer screen. The level of gossip on the floor is unreal and it is started by the management at the top! You are micromanaged in every aspect of your job and you will spend your time filling out another pointless spreadsheet after another. I have never worked in an environment where staff turnover is so extreme. It is always 1 in 1 out and generally people don't stay any longer than 2 years because the decent staff members move on to better companies or the mediocre employees are sacked for ridiculous reasons. Every single phone call that you make is recorded and listened to. This ensures that you are not entertaining small talk with your colleagues or speaking negatively about the company. You have stats per hour that you have to achieve which are unrealistically set so that you aren't paid your bonus. The bright side to Wren... fancy looking office, free parking, onsite gym, great canteen. I also met an amazing group of girls who gave me strength on my worst days. The majority of us have now gotten out and have never looked back. I have now worked at my new job for 6 months. I am insanely happy and I appreciate on every level how different it is from Wren. I wish I had bothered to read the job reviews before I accepted an interview with Wren. It's worth noting that i recently took a course at a well known college as part of a free optional development plan with my new job. The course explained varying business models for managing staff. When I mentioned that I had previously worked for wren, and it was the most demoralizing, depressing job I've ever had, his words were 'it's not the first time I've heard that, I've heard that often'. He explained that wren works on a business model of paying staff well, but piling on excess pressure to reach an unsustainable level of productivity. They burn their staff out, but they are not bothered as they just move on to the next. Wren will never change and if you are a school leaver, then maybe this will be a nice little stop gap for you. Or if you have never worked in an office before, and you can stick it out for a year to give you the experience needed to go on to better, then maybe it'll be a worth while experience. Wren taught me to value and appreciate a better company with morals and a genuine concern for its staff. Just because the pay is good at Wren doesn't mean you won't find something that pays the same but doesn't cost you your mental health. Happy job hunting!!! Ps. I have been trying to review Wren, both on here and on another well known jobsite and nothing is ever published.... funny really because it's an honest account of what goes on.
Cons
Please see above for entire review.
