Great place to work the workforce are a great team and really pull together when needed. Good home work life balance. There is also a good support network that are always there if needed

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Official response from British Heart Foundation

31 March 2020

Thanks so much for the great review and highlighting our culture. We wish you continued success with us!Recruitment Team

Fast paced

Volunteer Cleaner (Former Employee) - Blackpool, Lancashire - 28 June 2022

Great to work there. I learned a lot of new skills about retail and enjoyed the working environment and fast paced the place was.I often stayed until closing time as I had much to do and helped get ready for following day, the best skill I learned was answering the phone which I was very scared of doing.

Pros

Learning new skills

Cons

Nothing

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Insights into British Heart Foundation

Based on 279 survey responses

What people like

Feeling of personal appreciation
Time and location flexibility
Clear sense of purpose

Areas for improvement

Fair pay for job

Love this place... always will

Volunteer/sales assistant (Former Employee) - Inverness - 27 June 2022

I volunteered here for ten years then got a part time job as a sales assistant. I wish I didn't leave because they were like family but mental health and money issues were a problem at the time. Patient and understanding staff, amazing management. Pleasant customers and I just can't praise them enough.

Pros

Free coffee, lunch and tea break, 25% staff discount, kind faces

Cons

N/a

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Awful place to work

Assistant Manager (Former Employee) - Sheffield - 24 June 2022

Avoid at all costsManagement are awful bullies that make every working day a nightmare! The existing teams will gang up on you and belittle you and destroy your life. To say this is British heart foundation - I have never felt so stressed in my life in a job. The actual job is amazing, the management and culture is disgusting.Lies will be spread, back stabbing happens and nothing is ever good enough. Please please please do not work in the retail side of this business

Pros

25% discount

Cons

Made to work unpaid overtime, management awful, bullying culture

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Don’t feel appreciated

Sales Assistant (Former Employee) - Brighton - 23 June 2022

This was WAY more demanding than a normal retail job. A lot of managing and sorting through donations, stressful management and always on edge. Didn’t feel like I was helping a charity, only care about profits

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Volunteer Retail Assistant (Former Employee) - Consett - 23 June 2022

Great Job and extremely stress free. If you are looking for work experience this is the place to go. Obviously it is voluntary work so there is no pay but that is to be expected. For me the staff was incredible

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Amazing! Learning a lot.

VOLUNTEER SALES ASSISTANT (Current Employee) - Lewisham, Greater London - 23 June 2022

I'm only a volunteer but I really enjoy what I do. It has given me a lot of confidence in the workplace and allowed me to develop necessary retail skills such as till operation and customer interaction.

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Productive and enjoyable

Stockroom Assistant (Current Employee) - Peterborough, Cambridgeshire - 21 June 2022

Great fun working here as a volunteer. The hours are flexible and the management in this store is excellent. The interview was simple and straight forward with no tricky questions. Staff are friendly and are great to work with.

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Fun workplace

Store Assistant (Former Employee) - Newcastle upon Tyne - 20 June 2022

I loved my time there. Job wasn't too taxing, putting stock out, taking in delivery, using the till etc. Only left as got a better paid job elsewhere and more hours.

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Great company

Assistant Manager (Former Employee) - Weston-super-Mare, Somerset - 19 June 2022

I worked here for 12 years as assistant manager in a furniture store and loved every day. Colleagues were helpful, hard-working in a fast-paced store. Can involve a lot of lifting heavy furniture with daily merchandising and helping customers. Quite a bit of paperwork and online forms from daily tasks. Great team of paid and volunteers to work with. I would advise you must enjoy working with other people and able to delegate tasks out as can be a lot to do at times. A good job satisfactory role .

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Jobs at British Heart Foundation

Sales Assistant - Home Store

Sales Assistant - Home Store

Ipswich

1 day ago

Fun work place

Voluntary Worker (Current Employee) - Ashton-Under-Lyne, Greater Manchester - 16 June 2022

Everyone is friendly and easy to get along with …. No day is the same We all work hard together as a team there is a role for everyone. There is allways someone to talk to if ur feel down or u just need a help in hand There more like family the co workers

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Official response from British Heart Foundation

17 June 2022

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience of volunteering at the BHF - I'm delighted to read how the shop team feel like family - not just co-workers.Clare - Volunteering Team

Friendly fun place to work

Volunteer Sales Assistant (Former Employee) - Sidcup - 16 June 2022

I really enjoyed my time volunteering at BHF furniture shop in Sidcup. Amazing friendly people who were fun to work with, it was a very laid back but also energetic place at times.

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Productive and collaborative

Volunteer - Project Support Officer (Current Employee) - Scotland - 16 June 2022

Nice place.Good communicationsFriendly colleagues and safe work ethics.Its a good place to render assistance in community project during the pandemic. Moreso, a good place to kearn good work ethics for first time job starters 🙂

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Decent for CV building

Volunteer (Former Employee) - West Midlands - 15 June 2022

It was an okay job, I was only a volunteer however they would rely on me for many things and wasn't taking in account the stress I was experiencing. I'd experience many customers who weren't very nice, with very little help from management. They would often let customers yell at us without stepping in. It was a good experience to put on a CV, but I don't think it's worth the stress sometimes.

Pros

Meeting new people, good co-workers, good experience

Cons

Often unhappy and mean customers, being relied on heavily as a volunteer

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Official response from British Heart Foundation

17 June 2022

Thank you for your comments. I am sorry to read that you didn't feel as supported as you could of been in difficult or stressful situations, but that it has helped you build your CV. If I can help further or pass your comments on to help the team improve, please do drop me a line on vaadvice@bhf.org.ukClare - Volunteering Team

alright

Sales Assistant (Volunteering) (Former Employee) - London - 14 June 2022

not too bad but definitely not for long termplace is very messy and unless you clean it up yourself no one else will bother,

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Loved it

Volunteer Shop Assistant (Former Employee) - Glasgow - 8 June 2022

This was a great place to work, friendly colleagues and customers. Couldn't fault it. There was always an opportunity to learn something new and there was always support along the way.

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Good for volunteers

Volunteer (Former Employee) - Carmarthen - 8 June 2022

I volunteered with the BHF since the start of Covid, it was a good experience due to the staff up in the warehouse (they've all left now, probably for good reasons) and it prepared me for getting back into a working environment.It's not easy work due to all the heavy lifting, building of certain items such as beds and customer interactions. However because you're a volunteer the management staff don't apply any pressure on you, you don't get paid and can leave when you want so they don't really give two hoots about you, it's all a + for them if you to work there.Applied for a job and that's where the problems started, on a whim the manager changed everything about the applied for job, you have to be flexible, you have to accept the horrible terms in the contract, you have to accept that you're going to be what's essentially their multipurpose workhorse, you have to accept the top down hierarchical lack of diversity and inclusivity.Heavy work in a stinking hot warehouse for no reward, only grief. Remain a volunteer and apply elsewhere.

Pros

Working for a good cause.

Cons

Management, poor contractual terms, lack of diversity, thankless heavy labour, treated like a donkey.

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Mentally and emotionally taxing, toxic and manipulative workplace

Volunteer Store Assistant (Former Employee) - Torquay - 8 June 2022

At first, I felt appreciated and valued by the management, but in the last few months I was there, I felt as though I was being ignored and manipulated by the manager and deputy manager. Both the managers were talking behind the others back, to try to get me on their side. Many customers were rude and ignorant, especially during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, which resulted in causing me a lot of stress.

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Official response from British Heart Foundation

17 June 2022

I am very sorry to read your review. If this is something that you would like to elaborate on further (in strictest confidence) so that we can fully investigate, please do get in touch via; vaadvice@bhf.org.ukClare - Volunteering Team

nice people to work with

Volunteer (Current Employee) - Darlington, Durham - 8 June 2022

you can lean different things that can help you get experience for other jobs .and good for team building experience and meeting different people as your working

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Fast-paced and interesting

Customer Assistant (Former Employee) - Burnley, Lancashire - 6 June 2022

Typical day would consist of helping customers, organising the shop, cleaning, working at the till and sorting out the clothes or items in the back. The staff are accommodating and supportive of you, as long as you are friendly and professional. Hardest part of the job is honestly just the few customers everyday who decide to be rude at a charity shop, when you working on the till.

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Official response from British Heart Foundation

17 June 2022

Thank you for taking the time of leaving this review of your time with us in Burnley. We are happy to see that you found the other staff supportive as we strive to be an all-inclusive and supportive workplace. We wish you all the best for your future adventures. BHF Recruitment