Very transactional - Designer The Manser Practice Employee Review

Occasionally able to leave early on Fridays (around 3:30pm) if there are no pressing deadlines Office trips are organised every year or two Annual visit to the RA Summer Exhibition Younger staff are generally sociable and create some sense of community. The firm had a prestigious reputation and was once known for their award-winning projects. The office participate in gingerbread city every year which is quite fun.

Leadership lacks diversity, being composed entirely of white-men, and can behave unprofessionally, including gossiping about staff in the office in front of other staff. Management at times displays immature and unprofessional behaviour, including shouting, stomping around the office, and occasionally throwing, kicking and breaking objects. The quality and creativity that built the firm’s reputation seem lost since the founder’s departure. Current projects do not reflect that legacy. Culture is rigid and unsupportive: no flexibility, no work-from-home allowance, and strict enforcement of timekeeping. Lunch must be taken exactly between 1–2pm. Unpaid overtime is often expected. Senior management is largely absent and disengaged. No investment in employees: no training, mentorship, or Christmas bonuses. New staff are treated as expendable. Staff turnover is high; the environment is stressful and profit-driven, with little regard for wellbeing. Creativity is stifled by micromanagement and lack of trust, leaving minimal room for professional growth. Before I joined, management presented a misleading picture of financial stability, despite having made redundancies the previous year due to a downturn in projects — a fact I only discovered months later.

You may get to finish early on a Friday.

- Don’t expect any real gratitude for the time, effort and sacrifices you make. Although they preach about time in lieu it is rarely granted fairly. Very poor management - they play favourites. Don’t end up on the wrong side of them as they will make your life a misery. - No work from home. Only awarded to associates and a select few. Different rules for different people which fosters resentment. - Dependant on a small amount of clients which makes them very vulnerable. - In a cycle of redundancies every couple of years. Don’t work here if you want a stable position. Lots of people have also left on their own accord over the past few years. - Management are not open to change