Michael Page reviews

3.8

79% would recommend to a friend

(2,078 total reviews)

Nicholas Kirk

87% approve of CEO

56% positive business outlook

Michael Page has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 2,078 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Michael Page employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Human Resources & Staffing industry (3.8 stars).

Reviews by job title

2K reviews
1.0
Oct 5, 2015

Not a good place to work

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Not many pros sadly. Large office and on the surface, gives you a busy city job feeling. Comprehensive training program offered (better than competitors)

Cons

Unfortunately, there are a lot and they hugely outweigh the pros. The greatest of them all is: CULTURE. The atmosphere in the office is the worst. There is very little respect for any employee, management expect to be respected purely because they have been there longer than others or once upon a time, in the recession, did your job. Newsflash, respect has to be earned and that is the rule at any level. There is a huge blame/fear culture, nobody takes ownership yet everyone wants credit, management is quick to tell you to take ownership yet somehow don’t take any ownership for their responsibilities. Additionally, they constantly change the goal posts and often forget about verbal commitments they have made. Work/life balance is the worst. 8am start and a 7pm finish as a standard. Employees are scared to leave their desk any earlier in case they're judged as management constantly remind you that the hours you put in get noticed. Also, there is no lunch hour, grab your lunch and eat at your desk or be prepared to have an excuse if you need to be out longer. Communication throughout the business is bad, for example, a colleague in another team found out their manager had resigned over drinks through the gossip chain while having drinks after work. Back office team is incoherent, inefficient and disorganized, putting a lot of barriers in being able to do any task with efficiency. The CRM system is a standing joke, it really demonstrates the lack of understanding senior management have on how a recruiter should do their job. Training - as comprehensive as it is, it is delivered by a group of untalented and unsuccessful recruiters, even worse, some are untalented trainers too. HR team make you feel like you should be grateful for a job. Always unpleasant to deal with. Annual performance reviews are treated as a check box exercise (by HR and management). Bonuses are discretionary, which means the company decides how much they pay you for your billings, having spoke to colleagues, there is no consistency in the methodology, if your face fits and you’re prepared to suck up to management, you're paid okay, if not, forget about it. Staff retention is not a concern, also they're constantly firing people in their first 4-8 weeks without giving them a fair shot.

avatar
Michael Page Response
10y
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. It’s good to see your positive comment regarding our comprehensive training. However, I can see there are a number of negative points which I would like to address. I’d like to emphasize that management fully recognize that our teams are fundamental to the success of PageGroup, and we more than respect the hard work and dedication they put in, at all levels. As I’ve mentioned before, we are working on a number of initiatives to address work-life balance and support our teams throughout their careers here. These include our Women@Page and Parents@Page initiatives which look to provide women and parents with encouragement and support, a generous vacation policy allowing for up to five weeks paid time off, and finally we promote a culture of ‘choice’, not hours. The job is about delivering excellent results – how you achieve that is up to you. We also have a Career Journey program which ensures that our best performers are offered the career progression that they deserve. Specific targets are established by level and discipline in order to provide a clear path to promotion. As you will be aware, we have introduced our internal communications platform in order to improve communications across our global business. This is proving to be a success and is enabling all of our teams to work better together. Our support teams work hard to provide support to all areas of our business. They strive to provide a high level of service, and often have to follow essential processes which can take time. You’ll also be aware that we have invested in a new CRM system which is being rolled out globally, but of course with any new system there will be a learning curve and we are working hard to make sure all employees are fully trained on how to utilise it. I’d also like to emphasize that our training team are one of the best in the industry, and are responsible for developing our industry leading training programme that you refer to. We often encourage ex-recruiters into this role because more than anyone else, they understand what the role involves and are the most qualified to ensure that our recruiters are fully trained and prepared for the task ahead. Additionally, I’d like to highlight that our discretionary bonuses are based solely on personal and company performance. On top of this we also offer highly competitive base salaries and pride ourselves on offering some of the best rewards in the industry; including comprehensive benefit programs, ‘High Flyers’ trips abroad for high achievers and regular team social events. Our values and culture are an important part of working for Page; they are reflected in everything we do, in all of our offices. We have five values that have always contributed to our success; take pride, be passionate, never give up, work as a ream and make it fun. Finally, our HR teams provide excellent support to our staff and ensure that our employees are happy during their careers at PageGroup. The bi-annual appraisals are there to give our teams the opportunity to discuss, among other things, their long-term career plans and are in no way a ‘check box exercise’. We recognize that recruitment isn’t for everyone, it’s fast-paced and often challenging and you must be prepared to push yourself in a sales environment if you want to reap the rewards. Your career will progress within PageGroup based on the results that you achieve – 87% of our directors were promoted from within. I’d also like to invite you to talk to your manager or myself, to further resolve any issues or suggestions you have as we’d like to make sure you are getting the most out of your career at PageGroup. I would like to thank you again for your review and allowing me the opportunity to address your concerns. Thanks, Richard.
1.0
Nov 17, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

A select few great people work here.

Cons

This review is my unbiased take on The Los Angeles office. I contemplated writing this review, but it's important for prospective and future employees to know exactly what they're walking into if they choose. 1. Leadership claims D&I is a strong focus, but it is not. 2. The hiring process will likely be the best part of your experience here if you fit the bill on what they are looking for. 3. The leader of the office (Managing Director) asks illegal & outright personal questions that don't pertain to the skills necessary to do the job. 4. The Managing Director is discriminatory, micromanages, and talks down to folks who don't meet his own personal standards (regardless of performance.) Along with an attitude of control, he gossips, talks down on, and disrespects employees. 5. You'll hear a lot about mental health days off by leaders, but you won't be encouraged to take them.

avatar
Michael Page Response
3y
Thank you for taking the time to provide your thoughts and valuable feedback. I want to assure you that we have a strict code of conduct at PageGroup. This is enforced at all levels throughout the business as it is important that we all lead by example. We promote a diverse, inclusive and equal workplace, which means that whether it’s a candidate seeking work through us or one of our own employees, everyone is valued and respected and their selection for recruitment, training or promotion is always based on merit. Our recent feedback for the office has been positive so I would like to understand more about your experience at PageGroup and ensure your feedback is taken on board. Please do reach out to me here, andrewjames@michaelpage.us.com and we can discuss this further.
1.0
Oct 29, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good sales training Cool coworkers Good first job out of college, lots to learn especially concerning publicly traded businesses.

Cons

Dishonest tactics that hurt candidates. Ruining/stealing a candidates existing job prospects is half the job. Lying is encouraged to close a deal. Management plays favorites and is overcompensated for the value they bring. Hard to advance in the “clear promotion path” when opportunities are gifted or withheld based on the popularity contest. Frat house culture is an accurate description including hazing for missed KPIs Long hours Bonus structure is an abomination. A quarterly minimum revenue target qualifies means many people bill enough to keep their job, but receive nothing beyond a less than market salary. This leads to all sorts of questionable deals and revenue reporting manipulation. It’s also discretionary and attitude is a factor so all day everyone is shouting how great the company is. The bonuses lead to the most turnover in my opinion. You can make more at most firms with less toxicity.

Viewing 28 - 30 of 2,078 Reviews

Glassdoor has 3,223 Michael Page reviews submitted anonymously by Michael Page employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Michael Page is right for you.