hmv Employee Review

Current Employee – been working at hmv full-time for more than a year

Pros – + It's nice to be working with what I love as my enthusiasm for the product is genuine and I feel that the customers recognise this.

+ The staff discount, although its not that much, is very handy, especially for birthdays/Christmas.

+ A lot of the staff on my level are very friendly and have a genuine love of what they sell.

Cons – - The store manager uses fear as their primary motivational tool.

- The management are always in contradiction with one another so you're ALWAYS going against someone's instructions.

- No regard for illness or pain when tasks are being delegated. I've often complained of my injuries being made worse by my work, only to be offered no sympathy. I'm currently very ill but I fear the consequences of taking time off.

- Disproportionate punishments follow menial crimes. For example, an employee is awaiting a disciplinary hearing for going to meet a friend outside of work hours to ask a favour of them when he was off sick. He received a barrage of verbal abuse from the manager for this.

- The store is absolutely FILTHY. No-one reports the store to environmental health as they fear being fired. There was a dead mouse in the audio department for a VERY long time and mice regularly eat the confectionary that's for sale. The half-eaten treats are removed rather than the whole batch. I die a little inside every time a customer buys a chocolate bar. The staff kitchen areas are disgusting and rodent-infested and I refuse to eat or prepare food in them. It's also so dusty that my hands are black after half an hour of work. Disgusting.

Advice to Senior Management – This place needs a massive overhaul in the way in which it's managed, starting with respect and decency towards its employees. If I didn't have to worry about my wife and forthcoming family prospects, I'd leave right now. It's sad, because I spent my teenage years dying to work in HMV only to find out how awful it is to work there. I hope other stores fare better.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company