Intense micromanaging, incompetent head office, greedy and immoral directors, toxic work culture and environment
Pros
Store based team members (store dependent).
Cons
If you want a career in optics/optometry, this is not the place for you. Your passion for taking care of your community and helping people with optical needs will be stifled. This company does not care about the public or your eye health. They intentionally chose NOT to put anyone with optical experience in head office becasue they are not open to constructive criticism and unwilling to make positive changes to improve the medical side of optometry. Oscar Wylee is only in it for the retail side, setting unrealistic business expectations without taking into consideration that optometry is ultimately an allied health and medical arena; their goal is to make money off of the public's trust in "eye care". This is not a company to be trusted. Everyone is expendable. This company only cares about money, using questionable tactics attracting lawsuits, always at the detriment of their staff. The owners only care about one thing - how fat their wallets are. Forget being valued for going above and beyond, they will only take advantage of you. Expect to work overtime without compensation, and expect to pay things out of your own pocket to improve work efficiency (which of course, is taken for granted). This company only harbours low morale, apathy, and doing the bare minimum. There is zero humanity. Don't believe the facade they put on social media and the flowery language they use. They like to do things as cheaply as possible, using the lowest quality available, and like to teeter between illegal and immoral actions, and frequently operate against government and industry guidelines. Staff turnover, especially in head office, is extraordinarily high due to toxic work culture, extreme micromanaging, and unwillingness for improvement. Bullying and misogynistic attitudes are not uncommon practice, instilled from the very top. Another reason for high turnover is stagnant salary and no career progression. Your starting salary is what they are willing to pay, nothing more. Even if you have been in the company for over 4-5 years, going above and beyond in your role with added resposibilties over time, you will still be on your starting salary, and any application for a raise is rejected immediately. The only positive is the local store team who you work with everyday, and middle management (area and regional managers of Victoria). They are knowledgeable and professional, however their capabilities and skills are constantly being stifled by higher management in head office due to extreme micromanaging and unrealist bugets and goals set by the company director. They are the only reason why people still work in this company, without them, staff will disperse. This company has caused detrimental mental health issues for countless staff across all States, where most have left even without having another job lined up. Avoid at all cost if you want your sanity intact.
