Used to be great - avoid now - Anonymous employee Cuckoo Fibre Employee Review

2.0
10 Nov 2025
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good workspace (which in hindsight, was not affordable), some lovely people (most of whom have now been made redundant)

Cons

Doesn't live up to its own values. As one person said "'We are Different' - until it gets too expensive. Working at Cuckoo a few years ago was great - there was growth, a hardworking and engaged team, and some company values that everyone could get behind. Ambitious targets for sales were set which the business then aligned all of its other goals around. This included recruitment and planning. When those sales failed to materialise, in no small part due to delays to availability caused by the sister company APFN, this left a bloated and expensive headcount. Redundancies were required, and at this point all values seemed to be thrown out of the window. Decisions were made to offshore the entire customer operations department, and the news of this was not delivered well. Some roles remained which did not make sense, while others that were critical in ensuring the company could maintain its values did not. Some of those that remained are currently occupied by friends of the SLT which left a very bitter taste for others. It is clear that the business has no overall control of major decision making - these decisions are made by the investors at Fern and are based 100% on finances rather than customer service or employee experience. A new computer system, Kraken (connected to Fern) has caused nothing but problems and is not designed for a telecoms business. Any attempt to deviate away from 'the Kraken operating model' was met with a brick wall. It felt like being in a cult by the end. After making over 100 people redundant, the People team are currently congratulating themselves on social media for being nominated for an Employee Engagement award.

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Cuckoo Fibre Response
4mo
Thank you for sharing your perspective. We’re genuinely sorry that your experience, particularly around organisational change, left you feeling disappointed. We know how difficult this period was for many people, and we don’t underestimate the personal impact of those decisions. While we accept that redundancy is never any easy decision, our intention throughout was to treat people with dignity, care and respect. The recognition our People team received was specifically for the support provided to those leaving the business and to colleagues who remained during a challenging time - not a celebration of the change itself. We understand that not everyone will agree with the decisions made or how they were experienced, and we do take feedback like this seriously. Thank you for the contribution you made during your time at Cuckoo, and we wish you all the best for the future.

Explore other reviews about Cuckoo Fibre

3.0
3 June 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great team, initially plenty of independence

Cons

A lot of micro management towards the end

1.0
8 Nov 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Struggling to think of any other than it was pleasure to leave this companyf

Cons

Toxic middle managers who have no skills to manage themselves let alone other people. Promotion/ posts given on jobs for the boys. Who are People who know each other and have the same small mindset. Commission structure very poor and even force sales reps to ask customers to write 5 star reviews so reps can meet the "review targets" to get paid poor commission rates. Not able to think for yourself and organise your own day /times.. micromanaging is understatement... I can't think of anything good to write about this idiotic setup with morans for managers.. I have so many examples of things said and done by these morans however would be still typing next week to list the full issues and ridiculous things done and said

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Cuckoo Fibre Response
7mo
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re sorry to hear your experience didn’t reflect the culture we strive for at Cuckoo. We’re proud of our strong Trustpilot score, and it’s important to be clear that reviews are always the customer’s choice. We never require or pressure anyone to seek five-star reviews, and any decision a customer makes to leave feedback is entirely their own. Promotion and progression at Cuckoo follow transparent processes based on performance and capability — not personal connections. We’re concerned to hear your comments about management and working practices. This isn’t the experience we want for our team, and we continue to invest in developing supportive, effective leadership. We appreciate your perspective and wish you well for the future. - The Cuckoo Team
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