- Inadequate pay compared to market standards, contributing further to low motivation and staff dissatisfaction.
- Hard work is rarely recognised or rewarded, leading to consistently low morale and poor engagement among employees.
- Poor communication and lack of transparency from leadership, resulting in limited and ineffective feedback channels.
- Lack of performance-based incentives and recognition systems, with justified pay rise requests repeatedly denied. Compensation decisions lack transparency, creating a culture of demotivation and disengagement.
- Lack of career development opportunities has led to high turnover and the loss of passionate, experienced employees. The company continues to invest in the wrong people while overlooking new talent.
- The company is overly top-heavy, with too many layers of middle management, creating unnecessary bureaucracy and slowing down decision-making. It often feels like there are more people managing the work than actually doing it, which leads to inefficiency, confusion, and frustration on the ground level.
- I'm sick of hearing “but this is the Fred Perry way” as a default excuse. That attitude is outdated, unhelpful, and used to shut down valid feedback or suggestions for change.
- Dedication and loyalty to "the brand" are routinely taken advantage of. Promotions are often based on tenure rather than merit, leaving skilled newcomers undervalued and disengaged.
- Long-tenured leaders remain in roles far too long, blocking progression for others. Fresh, capable employees are left stagnant with no clear path forward, stifling innovation and motivation.
- Senior staff frequently take excessive time off without consequences, while lower-paid employees are expected to carry the workload, often under micromanagement from disengaged leadership.
- No encouragement or support for cross-departmental collaboration. Staff continue to remain siloed with limited exposure to the broader business.
- There is a strong perception that certain departments are prioritised and celebrated over others, such as brand and business development. This creates resentment and division, especially when these teams adopt a superior attitude despite being dependent on the foundational work of operational staff.
- Operations teams are routinely overlooked, despite being critical to the company’s success. This imbalance leads to missed opportunities for collaboration, knowledge sharing, and collective recognition.
- Operational departments are often excluded from events and engagement opportunities, reinforcing the feeling of being undervalued because they don't work in departments such as brand and business development.
- The company claims to host inclusive events, but in reality, many teams, especially operational departments are left out entirely. This creates a sense of exclusion and reinforces the perception that only certain roles or departments are truly valued.
- The company constantly talks about work-life balance, but it has swung too far. Things have become overly relaxed, and too many people get away with doing very little. It's time to bring people back into the office and get them actually working again.
- Large, expensive office space sits under-utilised, representing a poor use of resources. Little effort is made to foster a welcoming return-to-office environment, weakening an already fragile company culture.
