Toxic/ Paranoid Directors - Manager Integra People Employee Review

Basic salary paid as expected

When people talk about toxic work environments, nothing compares to Integra. The culture and general atmosphere is hard to describe, you only know if you’ve experienced it, but the words fear, anxiety, toxic come to mind. The company has been trading for around 16-17 years and often talks about being in a growth phase, but there are very few long-serving employees (if you’re employed for over a year you are a long serving employee). Most don’t last longer than 6 months. This shows what the culture and environment is actually like. There a lack of trust throughout the management structure, and decision making was heavily controlled by the owners, everything has to be run by them, no matter your job title. The business always seemed excited about bringing in new employees, especially ones with director titles and big salaries, but they don’t stay long. This happens maybe every 6 months, they bring in a new director or senior level manager, maybe for a new division, they try their best but because they actually have no authority, they fail and leave or are let go. The blame is never Integra’s fault though, it’s always the person. Compliance is reactive not proactive, barely scraping legal requirements. Employees have to give two weeks' notice for annual leave and even for medical appointments or taking half a day off. Benefits were limited beyond statutory requirements. Anyone considering joining should ask to see the policies on sick pay, maternity pay, bereavement leave and other benefits before accepting an offer, the answer is, there is no benefits. The commission structure also included wording stating that payments were ultimately at the directors' discretion. Priorities change regularly, making it difficult to understand the long term plan for the business, one minute they want to focus on construction, the next minute they’ve hired a new driving consultant. Of course, this is based on my own experience and others may have had a different one. However, the high turnover, management style and lack of clear direction were recurring themes throughout my time there. Based on that experience, I would not recommend working for Integra or any closely associated businesses linked to the same ownership.

Although I have not been with Integra People for as long as some of the long standing team members, my experience so far has been very positive. From joining, I have found the team to be welcoming, knowledgeable and genuinely supportive. There is a strong sense of collaboration across the business and it is clear many people have built long term careers here, which in itself says a lot about the environment. Leadership are visible and engaged and there is a real focus on communication and making sure people feel supported in their roles. I have also had the opportunity to speak with colleagues who have been with the business for many years and their experiences have been consistently positive in terms of growth, support and progression. The business is fast paced, as you would expect within recruitment, but the tools, systems and team support are all in place to help you succeed.

As I am still relatively new, there has been a lot to learn in the early stages. That said, expectations have been clear and guidance has been available whenever needed.