Pros
I worked at Vallis for a number of years up to end of 2017 and during that time I saw a great deal of change in the company. As one of their major competitors pulled out of the collateral management market, the company went through a period of sustained growth. The number of operations on the ground increased dramatically and the UK head office went from around 15 to 30 staff members in a relatively short period of time. There was a good group of young, sociable and friendly employees, working in an open planned office. It felt very dynamic and exciting. It was a great time to be part of the company as you were given a lot of responsibility from day 1. There was a lot of travel involved whether that was to go and visit operations across Africa or meet with clients in Europe. At that time, the company was very transparent and you felt as though you had a real impact in the direction of the company, being part of the decision making process.
Cons
That being said, there were a number of serious issues with the company, and in the end I felt so uncomfortable that I had to resign: Extreme racism and sexism is common place; No work/life balance in that you were expected to work incredibly long hours, answer calls or respond to emails 24/7 including bank holidays and Christmas; Regular public shaming either by email or meetings; Expected to travel at a moment’s notice, away for weeks and even months at a time, giving up your weekends / evenings and with no reward, overtime or acknowledgment. Vallis says that its values are openness, honesty and integrity, however, in my final year in the company, these values were long gone. It says a lot that the company has had to rebrand itself 4 times in 5 years…