Pros
Laudable that the parent company continued to pay retail staff throughout the pandemic despite store closures. Staff discount for both Arnotts and Brown Thomas. Relatively good work life balance is available in most cases, though there are some departments that suffer more than others.
Cons
The company is driven by a culture of personal appeasement rather than hard figures or data. Decisions are taken based on what will rock the boat least or what leadership feels rather than real expertise or methods that will show results, be it direct sales or traffic on the site. Two digital directors have left the business in one year with no replacement or strategy on the horizon resulting in a leadership vacuum. Brick and mortar retail as an industry is either already being seriously disrupted or at least the next in line to be, but none of the initiatives or projects talked about for the coming years are part of any overarching strategy. Rather they are scattergun attempts tick a 'digital' box. Bundle this together with slow-moving processes, a chronic lack of skills in key areas plus a civil service-esque 'not my job' atmosphere and you have a direction-less organisation spinning it’s wheels. Prior to covid there wasn't enough office space in the building, and now one year on from the start of enforced WFH, many workers are still using personal equipment. Below-market salary and poor career development opportunities. WFH makes it difficult to gauge, but going by the number of departures in the past six months, morale across the department is circling the drain. Some managers appear to be aware of this but many are adopting a head-in-the-sand approach.
