Supportive culture and benefits, but poor pay and progression - Anonymous employee British Heart Foundation Employee Review

An incredibly siloed organisation - in my time at BHF, I barely had any opportunities to meet or build relationships with anyone outside of my immediate team (which was a shame as people seemed really nice!) I appreciated BHF's flexible approach when it came to hybrid working, but lots of people don't come into the office at all which makes it hard to build rapport. Pay is poor compared to sector equivalents, and there are no opportunities to move up within your pay band regardless of tenure - meaning you end up essentially stuck on the same salary you were appointed at! This resulted in unfair and stagnant salaries, especially for more junior staff, and limits diversity efforts as only those from certain backgrounds can afford to accept these salaries. The HR team aren't visible and all communication with them comes via senior staff, which makes people feel like there's a lack of transparency or consistency when it comes to pay and progression. There is no clear process or guidance around eligibility for visa sponsorship, which was stressful and ultimately led to me leaving. Also, no union which was a big negative for me (and meant there was no negotiation around inflationary pay increases etc).