Claranet Reviews

Pros

Claranet is a wonderful organisation that gives its employees the opportunity to grow and develop in a way that most other companies can't offer. I have spent 13 wonderful years here and in that time, I have seen the company grow and develop into an important player in the market place which will forever be a source of pride for me. I would like to express my gratitude for the freedom that I was given to express... myself and learn new skills from members of staff working in the various business units. More importantly the culture within the organisation enables those who are curious to increase their understanding of the industry and update their skill set in different disciplines. I will always be grateful for the opportunities that I was given during my time at here and I wish Claranet every success in all future endeavours.

Cons

Some times I feel like too many changes are being made too soon.

Advice to Management

Please continue to give staff the freedom to express themselves. It is important recognise that ideas that come from members of the team are based on experiences they have gained by working with End users/Customers so they must be valued.

Pros

Teams are empowered to take decisions

Cons

Pays lower than market Not a big variety in client business

Pros

Lively, fun place to work

Cons

Doesn't pay that well and the bonus was rubbish

Pros

Beneficts, Home Office, Beer, Great localization.

Cons

Improve workplace infrastructure, Promotion of talents

Advice to Management

Improve workplace infrastructure

Pros

When I started working at Claranet, it was a great, fun place to work. Everyone was helpful and looked out for each other and working there was fun. Those days have long gone. The Holborn office location is great for commuting. Some friendly and great staff although the number of these seems to be shrinking. Pay isn't bad, not a top paying employer but by no means the worst around. Good benefits package,... flexible and remote working available if you have a decent manager that understands staff retention and work/life balance.

Cons

Over the years and as the company grew, staff turnover increased, the sense of fun disappeared and the number of managers swelled. The company has poor internal communication, tries to sell anything to anyone in order to make a quick return and then falls flat when it fails to deliver. Management hasn't recently been bold enough to make the decisions it needs to in order to continue to evolve to keep up with the... rest of the market. Why on earth it still has back-office functions based in a central London location i'll never understand? The UK Managing Director isn't very well liked, seeks to blame everyone for his own shortcomings and I never once saw any leadership or motivational qualities in him. No doubt like a number of employees, he's just sticking around to cash in his shares when the company is ultimately sold. Some good products but support needs a massive overhaul. Too many staff, not enough use of technology, automation and self-service, largely underpinned by managers who don't want to move with the times and want to ensure their own futures. Some awful internally developed tools and systems that are no longer fit for purpose but risk-averse management not bold enough to get rid of them and invest in longer term solutions.

Advice to Management

Start making some of the tough decisions - move all your back office functions out of London, promote much more home working and flexible remote working. Introduce contractual performance related bonuses and/or share options. Introduce more/better self-service and self-help options for customers, provide much greater visibility and transparency around service.

Pros

Great if you want an easy life. Can be used as a stepping stone to greater things, just ensure you're clear on getting what you want.

Cons

Constant customer churn has been a problem for years which is fueld by a severe lack of investmemt in transforming business operations and service innovation. If the C team stopped chasing acquisitions to plug the churn gap under the guise of adding capability they could focus on customers and start to learn how to grow organically. Claranet pays under average for the industry and fails to attract top talent... from their peers, you can verify this by having a look through employees on LinkedIn. A comfortable place for many employees who are content and want an easy life, the sacrifice is being under payed for the hard work they do. Considering the business is mostly privately owned and growing inorganically there is a lack of wealth being shared with employees who are committed for the long term.

Advice to Management

Stop looking for dead wood under the executive team and pull in fresh c level / directors from outside the business. The acquisition strategy is hindering organic growth, flip the model or just be clear on the strategy so the business can unite on a common goal. Look after your committed employees, you have plenty that are committed to the journey, reward them well.

Pros

- Most employees have the ability to work from, however as my boss didn't like working at home I wasn't allowed to either (even in cases of emergencies).

Cons

- Members of the Senior Management Team act very superior and belittle employees. - Managers with no management experience/skills bad-mouth you to other employees and don't know how to communicate in a professional manner. - A very small amount of staff attend the office, therefore there is no personality to the office. - Managers 'pick and choose' what they deem to be appropriate. Therefore, you can get in... trouble for doing something on a Wednesday, which you was told to do on a Monday.

Pros

Friendly work environment Training resources available Relaxed environment

Cons

The salary for some positions are significantly lower than those found in a commute slightly further away.

Advice to Management

Middle level management - keep up the good work Higher management - listen to the workers and their opinions on salaries. They mention this because research has been done!