Pros
Nil- Except maybe they put some IT structure in place that was therte before the aquisition of my firm
Cons
Cons – Poor Handling of Retirement and HR Support
Having previously reviewed this company in a poor light, I feel it’s important to add my experience of how HR handled my retirement. I retired at full term, aged 66, after many years of loyal service — including 27 years with Dunbar & Boardman before the company was acquired in 2017 — and the process was handled very poorly.
There was no consideration of a wind-down or phased retirement option, despite the fact that my immediate superior had no one ready to take over my responsibilities. This made an already difficult time harder, especially given my wife’s illness.
No genuine wealth or retirement planning advice was offered. Worse still, I was referred to a former financial firm previously linked to the company, whose representative turned out to have a highly questionable professional record.
A farewell dinner was initially proposed, but when I declined the offered date due to my wife’s chemotherapy appointments, the company simply dropped the idea altogether. That small gesture of appreciation could easily have been rearranged — but it wasn’t.
My final pay was also mishandled, leading to a protracted and unnecessary back-and-forth with payroll and HR. The issue was ultimately resolved in my favour, but it should never have occurred in the first place.
Ironically, I’ve since learned that the company has improved its approach to retirement, now offering a fully paid three-day working week as a transition option — a courtesy I was never afforded.
Throughout my final months, communication with HR was tense and unhelpful. It was clear they had little to no experience managing the retirement of a long-term employee, and even less understanding of how to treat one with respect and basic decency.
