Holland & Barrett Employee Reviews
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When i worked for H& B the manager there at the time was disrespectful,rude unprofessional. Definitely not a people person.If she didn't like you she gave you all the heavy jobs made you stay longer than your shift.was rude to some customers..The work load regards knowledge. They expected you to be almost like a doctor.it was very intensive .if you didn't pass the tests you got your bonuses stopped until you did.no support from the manager.Being supervisor you worked every bank holiday & sundays no time off to spend with family ..not a good place to work ..
Pros
None
Cons
No support from management.
Theres so much potential here. You get qualifications in nutrition, learn about all the products, and each full course you complete in training, you get like 30p payraise per hour. By the time i left I'd gone from 7.50 an hour to 9.50 an hour.
Pros
25% discount on top of current promos.
Cons
Depends which manager you have, some employees are best kept away from, people come to the store to steal things of value, you get the occasional know it all customer who tries to teach you about your job
There is a lot to learn before you become a qualified advisor but it is very interesting and rewarding work. It makes you feel good that you are helping people with their health and well being. You are encouraged to learn constantly as the products change; old ones go and new stuff comes in. I really enjoy my work.
Pros
Great colleagues. Great customers. Great atmosphere.
Cons
Pay is not quite up to scratch for what is expected of you.
Overbearing management, no room for progression, no respect for work/life balance. Initial training was v. good, but no time made for additional training. Not worth it at entry level as you have to pass a mandatory A level equivalent qualification in supplementation in order to pass your 12 week trial. Company only pays min wage despite having to have this qualification.
This company only cares about money, they will make you run the store on your own if they are short staffed regardless of a holland and barrett staff member recently getting attacked when they closed the store. If you have any mental health conditions do not go anywhere near this company, if you dont have any mental health conditions, working for this company will give you them.
Pros
Leaving the company
Worked for the company for 20 years. Good employer. High level of staff training and good staff incentives for hard work. Would recommend as and employer.
Worked there as assistant manager then store manager. No communication between head office and managers Salaries are really low, too many courses have to done every month.Allowed hours shrink with less staff
Pros
Relaxed
Cons
Low salaries and increasing pressure
Company has changed since last take over, profit and compliance above all else. Training is full on and always on going, not easy to fit it in to work hrs due to the pressure and lone trading hours in stores. A non stop on the go place to work! I know that not all areas are the same but ours had an RBM who came from another firm and had no clue about actually working in one of our stores, it showed! Lone trading hours in Store are too high, expected to work at times for 7 days in a row when no cover available, 4 weeks in a row at one stage. You can put yourself out working in other stores when needed but struggle to get cover back in return as all stores struggle for staff. Everything is store managers fault even if the issues are totally out of your control, processes against you. Additional work added at no notice, and never any extra time allocated for it! The demands are shocking, stress levels high, turn over huge. Promotion changes are always a nightmare, and full of mistakes. Back of house was shocking in my Store, boiling in the summer (stock melted) freezing in the winter, with no ventilation. When money was tight the one staff perk we had ( free tea & coffee) was stopped! Hard to switch off from and you felt like you needed to keep up even when on holiday. No back up when needed, except for favourites. Pay was ok but loads of staff were always being paid incorrectly, never seemed to improve. Staff discount is now at times less than customers can get especially if ordering online when deals are available, and is therefore not the perk it used to be.
Cons
Lone trading, felt unsupported by upper management
I worked at Holland and Barrett last year and it was a terrible experience.It was stressful right from the start.They give you months worth of studying and expect you to complete it in 3 weeks, they have no consideration for you if you are shy or nervous , they expect you to sell and push sales straight away.I was treated terribly because I couldn't complete the months worth of work in 3 weeks.Bottom line is , they are an awful company to work for and I wouldn't recommend them to anyone.
Pros
discount
Cons
Everything
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amazing people that work there. awful management however.the team in almost every shop are fun people, all different ethnicities making it fun to interact and learn stuff about each other. really positive colleague friendliness.however the management are shocking! I'm never felt so unvalued by such a pr*ck of a manager. apart from that really good place to work
Pros
A levels, good hours
Cons
delivery are big, management are bad.
pros - Store manager was fantastic, caring, understanding, approachable and easy to work with.cons - The level of training to undertake is ridiculous, they are not lying when they say the training is not for the faint hearted. It is intense, If you are really interested in alternative remedies, products and lifestyle choice this this may be for you. However if you just need/want a job in retail you will be very out of your depth, very quickly.I felt uneasy having to recommend products to customers. It felt like I had to have the knowledge of a doctor.Afterwork every night I would spend hours revising and doing online training.overall to sum up if you are interested in free from food and natural remedies and products then great go for it you will thrive there. However if you aren't familar with natural products and remedies and don't really have an interest in them you may find yourself out of depth and in an alien world. THIS IS NOT A NORMAL RETAIL JOB THIS IS MORE LIKE AN APPRENTICESHIP
Pros
store manager was fantastic
Cons
you need to have the knowledge a medical professional has
The training on product knowledge, ailments, supplements, vitamins and homeopathic remedies is amazing aslong as you genuinely care, I feel we could do so much more to be the eliete in our field if the stores weren't so understaffed on a continuous basis, fully staff the store and kpis would be excelled and customers would always get the best advice
Pros
We could be the expert in our field, which is what the bosses expext is to strive for
Cons
Understaffed, supervisors being cut, over worked manager's, unhappy store teams
Unfortunately the company wasn’t willing to agree to my request to reduce my working hours so I had no choice but to resign. The local manager was willing but the regional manager had an issue.
Pros
Job satisfaction
Cons
A little inflexible when it comes to work life balance issues
When i first started at Holland and Barrett, they were a people company. now, they are just like the rest. The management in large parts are okay (store staff) but the area managers are very unrealistic in what shops should be achieving. Certain managers get away with things because they're "in" with the area manager. During lock down, we were pushed to hit targets and even sometimes break 2 meter rules and actively engage with customers. This company needs to wake up and realise that people not money should come first, the staff retention is terrible due to long hours of LONE trading yes lone trading during a pandemic was also something they didn't seem to mind.The only positive is that all the other staff i have met and worked with are really friendly and easy to get on with.
Pros
Staff discount
Cons
everything else
I began in a small store as an associate. There were enough staff members, good targets, just a few KPIs and focus was on customer care not selling unnecessary products. Over the 8 years I was with H&B I progressed through the company. The training when I began was reasonable, adaptive to learning styles, considerate of learning disabilities and reflected in the pay. Now it's restrictive to one particular learning style, colleagues are rushed through and pay is not competitive and suitable for the level of training expected. Stores are not given adequate resources, there are stores with no common areas or facilities for the disabled, places with just a sink in the stockroom with a cupboard and this is designated the staff room/kitchen, no tables or chairs for lunch breaks. There were expensive changes with new back office systems and hand held scanners (both of which were implemented too soon and took months before they functioned properly) and yet stores were suffering a recruitment freeze (staying understaffed), told they couldn't cover staff holiday/sickness and told they couldn't even order toilet paper to save money. During my time as a manager I was strict with rotas and adhering to hours allowance, yet staff had incorrect pay and I had to chase this up with payroll and it would take weeks sometimes months to correct the error. Staff safety and well-being is not considered at Holland & Barrett. Staff are expected to lone trade, this will sometimes be all day in a busy high street stores. On our area, managers/assistant managers were working 8-12 days straight, many of - more...
Pros
None
Cons
No work life balance, Lone trading, unrealistic targets, excessive KPIs, no concern for staff welfare, inadequate resources, poor pay, staff shortages/high turnover, poor priorities, incompetent departments.
Good job good pay good development opportunities. Monthly training questionnaires knowledgeable staff. Not flexible around other commitments and family life
Pros
Discount can work up through the company
Cons
Not great hours for people with young children
Where do I even start? Interview process was easy and everything seemed fine. I was 16 when I began here in 2012. A lot has likely changed since then, but my treatment there was so awful I would never give it a second chance.
The assistant manager at the time was the nicest woman I've ever met, would always care about the workers, if you had a personal problem she would do everything she could to help. When she left, it went downhill.
With no assistant manager for a year, everything fell on the manager himself, who is the worst manager I have ever worked for. Rude, narcissistic and treats employees like dirt. Due to being in college, I was contracted and could only work weekends. I was constantly hassled by the manager to work shifts during the week, something I couldn't do when I was at school at the time. If I didnt he would make horrific comments to other staff about how 'useless' I was. Constantly put me on the tills, wouldn't let me do any other work and if we were busy he would stand around doing nothing but shouting at staff in front of customers because of how many customers were waiting. No one could have a break before him and he would award himself breaks that were over 2 hours long so he could go to the gym. Some staff ended up never having breaks because their shifts ended before he returned. He treated older staff nice, but the younger staff he treated like they meant nothing. I had constant comments from customers about how rude he was. He reduced me to tears on numerous occasions, as well as a 21 year old lad who was great at his job. Whilst at work one - more...
Pros
Training
Cons
Management, pay, awful atmosphere
I wish I could go back to this company again. It look after their employees like family. I don’t have more words to describe this. It’s was my bad luck to leave this beautiful environment.
Pros
So many
Cons
None
Not for slow paced people
Training program intense
Pressure to learn from manual
Ridiculous points system
No gain for promotion
Management very rude
Pros
Good money
Cons
Long shifts
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