Next2IT is a small IT services company with around 10 employees, based in Staffordshire Technology Park. The company offers managed IT services alongside project work. During my time there, I observed that the leadership structure included several personal connections among staff, including family members and close friends of senior figures, which shaped the company’s culture and management style.
While there was an informal culture, this often felt inconsistently applied, and at times there was a clear sense of ‘do as I say, not as I do’. Like many small businesses, the work environment could be high-pressure, with strong emphasis on protecting the company’s reputation. However, I personally found that critical decision-making sometimes felt reactive and emotionally charged.
On multiple occasions, I witnessed the owner respond to staff mistakes with raised voices and criticism that I felt was inappropriate, especially under the stress of on-call duties where a 15-minute resolution/escalation SLA was expected.
I raised concerns about this with senior colleagues, who acknowledged the issue and indicated they would speak to the owner. I was later told this conversation took place informally, but the changes that followed were, in my view, short-lived.
One incident that particularly affected me was the dismissal of a colleague who was visibly stressed due to an unpredictable field schedule. I found the handling of this situation unprofessional and raised my concerns again. A senior colleague encouraged me to seek new employment and expressed similar frustrations, citing leadership as a key reason for their own dissatisfaction.
In hindsight, I would not have accepted a role at this business.
