Easily qualifies for the top two worst jobs I’ve ever worked. The retention rate for this company is almost FOUR times the national average, the below will help clarify why.
Having to experience insufferable, abusive, aggressive, sadistic, bullying narcissistic behaviour will be a daily torture. By FAR, the worst work experience; mostly due to management being maladjusted and prone to unpredictable mood swings.
Further, there’s no honouring of professional boundaries. Is overfamiliar, nosy. Asks intrusive questions about your personal life and gives unsolicited commentary and advice regards the former. DOES NOT like EVER being challenged, yet will say that different viewpoints and opinions are welcome (they AREN’T).
Never before witnessed a team of people be consistently spoken to in such a rude, unacceptable manner within a professional setting. Swearing, put downs, passive aggressive, sexist remarks. Management made abysmal jokes in very poor taste about staff AND customers. Staff members personal lives and confidential information is broadcast throughout the office in their absence without their permission ALL the time! When something unwelcome is said, expect an obstinate, argumentative response, with the speaker deliberately raising their voice to talk over yours so you can’t get a word in edge ways.
When dealing with a client over the phone, expect their tactless booming in the background, berating you or another team member for some ridiculous reason. When a client is in branch, expect to hear their judgemental statements about the customer’s lending prospects through the razor thin walls of the loan close booth.
Interaction between staff members is discouraged/encouraged based on the mood of management. If you’re engrossed in work but management wants a distraction, you’ll be bothered until a response is given. But, if management is stressed and wants to focus, heaven help if someone has the temerity to make conversation or laugh with other people in the room.
Oh, and expect the location of your desk, seat and work area to be
changed around on a whim. At a moment’s notice, it’ll be moved based on how best the higher ups think they can control the staff dynamic in the office. You’ll be told it’s for a functional reason, but it’s all to keep tabs, and to stop people interacting with each other in a way the higher ups can’t control, or doesn’t like.
No autonomy in your role. You’re treated as a mindless drone who does nothing else but carries out the instructions of the Manager/Assistant Manager each day. You’re totally micromanaged - it’s absolutely suffocating.
Even when lunch is taken has to be negotiated and/or requested. In the rare instance when lunch is taken (due to constantly being swamped with work), you’re half expected to eat at your desk. A comment will come from those in charge if you show you’d rather not spend every moment in the presence of such great company; but prefer to leave the room for thirty minutes. Example: a team member was berated for returning from lunch two minutes late, despite working over an hour per day longer than they should have up to that point.
ZERO work/life balance. Expect to never leave on time, and get the stink eye if you show a spine and logoff before you're told you can. Expect wage theft by being regularly expected to work 40-50 hours a week, but only get paid for 37.5. Expect to be told (not asked, told) you’ll be working one or two Saturdays out of the month; with heck to pay if you should make alternate plans on this day, despite it technically not being a day you’re supposed to work.
Misled by being told targets are realistic (they’re not). Misled by being told monetary incentives can be expected consistently/often. In reality, multiple quarters can pass before team members receive anything extra, and this is no accident in my opinion. This is NO fault of the team, everyone works their socks off.
So, what happens is, staff put 20% or more of additional unpaid time in per week; which benefits the company. Yet they can justify not rewarding staff at all, because “although you got close, you didn’t actually hit target”. It’s a dishonest bait and switch, because team members get nothing for the extra time they’ve worked. They only receive bonus if they meet the convoluted metrics the company decides…which can’t be done in a 37.5 work week.
Lastly, expect a totally different initiative pushed, based on the time of the month. At the start, “We must be ethical/lend responsibly”, but at month end, “We need to find a deal from somewhere!”. Quite an oscillation between the two extremes.
