Pros
✔ Friendly non-management staff ✔ Some friendly customers
Cons
Join at your own risk. One of the worst places to work! Hence their high staff turnover. Having worked in more than 10 other companies previously, Metro Bank was the company that made me hate my job at last! ☠ Culture - Unethical, Unprofessional and Corrupt Metro Bank has a very negative work culture which is highly exclusive of staff. Their true DISGUST(ING) culture is not reflected in their book "Fans not Customers" written by Vernon Hill, Metro Bank's founder and chairman who was fired by the board at Commerce Bank and is also a friend and supporter of Donald Trump. The company will attempt to brainwash you with myths of opportunity and their culture through their website and on your first day called ‘VISION’s (indoctrination) day. Don't be fooled by the propaganda. Reality is far from what they try to portray! 🐑 Management - Kleptocratic mismanagers with DISGUST(ING) behaviours Majority of the managers are yes-wo/men who are insecure perpetrators of a DISGUST(ING) culture and clueless when it comes to managing. They are jerks, lack common sense and can be very inhumane. You are better off talking to a wall. They will often try to bully and abuse you in order to establish their authority. This is a norm at Metro Bank and if (in)actions speak louder than words then Metro Bank is pro-bullying as when presented with these issues the oblivious CEO, executives, senior management and HR exhibit their leadership failures by neglecting these problems and their “superior responsibility”. Thus, this archaic culture of trickle down bullying and politics starts right from the top of the hierarchy and has metastasized to the bottom. After bullying and abusing you they will suggest you speak to essentially some strangers funded by Metro Bank about your problems via the “anonymous” help line. The only thing they care about is money, at any cost. They feel absolutely no responsibility over the treatment and wellbeing of staff. They treat you as if you are their property. 🐊 Senior management and HR Many of the senior management as well as HR personnel are also unprofessional and lack understanding and empathy towards staff. The dirty politics they play is highly disturbing. The HR personnel’s job title is ‘people advisor’ but they do not have your best interest at heart. They follow instructions from above. 💰 Money - Not worth it They will pay you a very basic salary that does not justify the countless number of mundane daily responsibilities, stress and pressure of the job as well as the bullying, politics and dishonesty management give you. In return, they will rob you off life. Mentally, due to the stress and anxiety they give you. Physically, by neglecting your health and safety. Socially, the scheduling makes it difficult for you to have a social life or plan anything more than a month in advance. You will work weekends, bank holidays (ironically), more than 6 days in a row sometimes, irregular shift patterns, unpaid overtime (it’s in your contract) with no benefits and no medical insurance included. It is the definition of modern slavery. ♻ Progression - Meritocracy does not exist at Metro Bank Promotion is based heavily on office politics rather than capability, achievement and hunger. Top performers who don't play office politics do not get promoted and are not even invited to the ‘AMAZE’ awards at the end of the year. You will often be told by managers that your development is in your hands but this could not be further from the truth no matter how hard you work. They will give you false hopes and promises of promotion. You will be led on by the many dishonest, deceitful and tyrannical managers who are wolves dressed in sheep's clothing. They are very selfish and have their own hidden agendas. You will be a chess piece to them that they try to control for their own benefit. They hardly will recognise you for your hard work and even the Area Director will turn a blind eye when presented with your achievements. 🎓 Courses Managers will rarely authorise for you to sit the courses provided by Metro bank's learning centre which could help you get promoted. It will take favouritism or a very a long time and a lot of begging before you get on one of these courses. ✍ Grading system To get a bonus and have a chance at promotion you will undergo the mid year and end of year non-functioning grading system that is guaranteed to negatively misrepresent your work no matter how hard you have worked. Managers and HR play extremely dirty when it comes to appealing the grade. For example, one of the apathetic senior regional managers once did not uphold a grade appeal because they impertinently expected more “zest” during the actual appeal meeting! ⚖ Grievance/Appeal/Disciplinary process - Corrupt You will be treated like a kid at school by being pulled aside and interrogated for any unintentional mistake you make (most likely because of either insufficient training, lack of support, being pressured to do too many things at once or a combination of these). The interrogation will take place in a room called the “fishbowl” where you are expected to “sink or swim” potentially followed by the threat of disciplinary yet when the company breaks the law or a senior member of staff violates a company procedure or the law not only apologies are not issued it is simply brushed aside and they're let off. If you have issues you can go through the internal biased and corrupt grievance/appeal process at the end of which they will most likely blame the issue on you. Most managers know each other in the company and will support one another against you even if they know their colleague is wrong. There’s a lot of conflict of interest and abuse of power. 🙈 Miscellaneous Some of the other issues include: ⚠ Sexual predatory behavior from some managers and senior managers. ⚠ Withholding good customer feedback about you. ⚠ Hiring externally when there are internal high performing and long serving staff. ⚠ Backlash for not following a manager’s instructions who is telling you to go against procedures. ⚠ The company does not follow its own ethos and sometimes punishes staff who do. ⚠ Pretending to be not target driven. ⚠ Running the organisation like an oppressive dictatorship using bullying, coercion, false promises, censorship, interrogation, double standards, etc 👎 Conclusion If you are looking for a low paying, routine, dead-end job in a toxic work environment with false hopes of promotion in addition to constant bombardment of bullying and politics from managers and HR alike then this company is for you. If not, my advice to you is this company is not worth it and does not deserve you. From Metro Bank steer clear if you want to have a great career. Don’t settle, find something better. I hope you have found my review useful and I wish you the best in your career.
