Best thing

Kind customers, thats it.

Worst thing

Incompetent management all the way up, the stress of working what feels like 4 peoples departments on your own at all times. The lack of shifts and hours, the mistreatment of staff from higher ups, the constant having to put on a show for the public while you have delivery to do, office work to do, a warehouse to tidy, people to serve, constant training videos to watch that dont teach you anything, all while being either on your own or with 1 other employee struggling to get through the sheer intense workload on a daily basis.

1.2

Sales assistant keyholder at The Works, November 2025

Best thing

The team

Worst thing

Lack of support head office

3.0

Supervisor at The Works, September 2025

Best thing

25% discount
Atmosphere is great in our shop

Worst thing

Told to do to much at short notice
Not enough staff for the tasks needed

3.5

Employee at The Works, July 2025

Best thing

Good discount, low hours which works good with my personal life, great customers

Worst thing

Managers expect too much from employees, bullying from coworkers, made to feel bad if ill/can’t come into work, unrealistic work load for time given, passive aggressive messages in work group chat, managers picking favourites, managers don’t listen.

1.3

Retail assistant at The Works, March 2025

Best thing

The customers and the stock itself

Worst thing

The manger

1.2

Employee at The Works, February 2025

Best thing

Friendly staff. Quick pace. Its a job.

Worst thing

Used to be great but the company is making cutbacks year on year, which is obviously going to happen. Blaming wage increase for why hours are reduced when the company makes millions in profit is not a good look.

4.6

Sales assistant keyholder at The Works, February 2025

Best thing

The staff discount

Worst thing

Being left alone on the shop floor all day whilst management stays upstairs in the office

1.9

Sales assistant at The Works, February 2025

Best thing

Some nice colleagues, easy work, nice customers, don't get dirty/

Worst thing

Not many hours, one backstabbing colleague

6.1

Sales assistant at The Works, February 2025

Best thing

Shifts and hours that fit my lifestyle

Worst thing

Unprofessional management and their relationship with employees

2.1

Retail assistant at The Works, January 2025

Best thing

The team I work with

Worst thing

Being made to work whn all jobs are done

6.8

Shop assistant at The Works, November 2024

Best thing

Flexibility, paid average overtime on holidays

Worst thing

Low pay, limited progression

4.6

Deputy manager at The Works, August 2024

Best thing

The People
The perks

Worst thing

The pay

6.7

Purchase ledger clerk at The Works, June 2024

Best thing

Relatively easy work

Worst thing

Head office have got no idea how the stores need to run. The company don’t care about their employees, you’re just a number to them. Taking time off when you’re sick is very very difficult. You get very little training if any.

1.5

Deputy manager at The Works, June 2024

Best thing

Helping customers smile

Worst thing

Not being able to have time off when not feeling great

3.7

Key holder at The Works, April 2024

Best thing

Easy work, albeit tedious.
Some managers are confident, understand what needs to be done and how to help the team work.

Worst thing

Some managers appear like they do not know what they are doing, unconfident, and don't always treat the staff with respect.
Work can be slow, and managers can give worthless tasks.

3.9

Retail assistant at The Works, March 2024

Best thing

easy to get to. I most of the people I work with.

Worst thing

the pay rate isn't good at all, nor does is reflect the work people do. it's not fair being expected to work harder and do more than most of the staff and still get paid the same rate. supervisor jobs got taken away but people are still expected to do the supervisor job. there is no where near enough hours to operate the store correctly due to cut backs which are already unfair because barely anyone that works in the store can afford to live for the month. head office don't seem to care about the people in the shops and actually do the hard work of earning the money for the company.

2.6

Employee at The Works, January 2024

Best thing

Super friendly, relaxed and fun

Worst thing

Not many hours when on a seasonal contract, unsure about the future and if I will be hired further

8.2

Seasonal sales assistant at The Works, December 2023

Best thing

Team

Worst thing

I get paid 2 different rates of pay

5.5

Deputy manager at The Works, December 2023

Best thing

The staff

Worst thing

The pay, the jobs required, the manager not doing the job properly.

1.9

Key holder at The Works, June 2023

Reply from People Services Manager at The Works, July 2023

Hey. Thanks for taking your time to leave this review and sorry that you seemingly had a negative experience with us. We'd love to hear some more specifics relating to the things you didn't enjoy, so please email us via peopleservices@theworks.co.uk. Thanks, The Works Team

Best thing

The people who work with you (in your store) on a daily basis

Worst thing

Stress, unrealistic targets/ unrealistic deadlines, long and unsafe lone working, not enough budgets for holidays and sickness, expectations to work before or after shift has ended/ started to meet deadlines without pay or getting time back

1.1

Manager at The Works, May 2023

Reply from People Services Manager at The Works, July 2023

Hey. Thank you for taking the time to leave this feedback and sorry that you didn't enjoy working for us. Lone trading is pretty minimal in our business when compared to other retailers and as a Store Manager, you have the freedom to set your rota to eliminate all lone working. We believe that hours are available to cover colleague sickness and holiday. We also aim to ensure that any additional time worked by our Store Managers is taken back as soon as possible. Thanks, The Works Team

Best thing

My co-workers are nice, and the job itself can be fun as the products are good and we are encouraged to demo them often.

Worst thing

The managers often leave sales assistants alone on the shop floor. We are understaffed and overtime is mandatory. We are chased about meeting targets such as loyalty sign ups and till teller sales.

3.4

Key holder at The Works, May 2023

Reply from People Services Manager at The Works, July 2023

Hey. Thanks for taking the time to leave your feedback and sorry that you haven't enjoyed your time with us. We're working hard to increase contracted hours and reduce reliance on overtime in order to give colleagues more stability in relation to their hours (and therefore pay). Like any retailer, we do have KPI's for our colleagues, but we don't believe that they're particularly arbitrary - if you believe you're being unfairly pushed in relation to any of the points in your feedback, please reach out to peopleservices@theworks.co.uk. Thanks, The Works Team.

Best thing

Co-workers are lovely, very laid-back job.

Worst thing

The pay isn’t good, minimum wage

9.3

Sales assistant at The Works, April 2023

Reply from People Services Manager at The Works, July 2023

Hey. Thanks for the fantastic score, we're glad you're enjoying working for us. We always looking to evolve our total reward package with additional benefits to complement your pay rate and there's more to come on that. Thanks, The Works Team.

Best thing

The customers I’ve dealt with are lovely and not too much hassle. Working Sundays is better as it’s quieter and less stressful

Worst thing

The team constantly talk behind your back. I have had many occasions where the manager has told someone else I wasn’t pulling my weight instead of talking to me about it

5.0

Sales assistant at The Works, February 2023

Reply from People Services Manager at The Works, July 2023

Hey. Thanks for taking your time to provide this feedback. What you've described above is completely against our culture, so please reach out to peopleservices@theworks.co.uk to discuss your concerns in further detail. Thanks, The Works Team.

Best thing

Fun products

Worst thing

Not enough hours and manager is a bully

1.6

Supervisor at The Works, February 2023

Reply from People Services Manager at The Works, July 2023

Hey. Thanks for taking your time to provide this feedback and I'm sorry to read of your experience. We've been working hard this year to increase contracted hours for our colleagues in store. In relation to the comment regarding your manager, we have a demonstrable zero tolerance approach to bullying, so please reach out to your Area Manager or to peopleservices@theworks.co.uk to provide further details of your concerns. Thanks, The Works Team.

Best thing

Staff

Worst thing

Over worked given too much responsibility

2.8

Keyholder at The Works, January 2023

Reply from People Services Manager at The Works, July 2023

Hey. Thanks for taking the time to provide your feedback. We're sorry that you've not enjoyed your experience working for us and would love some further detail to see how we can improve things in future. Please let us know via peopleservices@theworks.co.uk. Thanks, The Works Team.

Best thing

50% off Christmas bonus

Worst thing

After contract they pay me less for helping them so if I travel 250 miles to help open a store I get paid £1 less that I do on my contract

4.2

Supervisor at The Works, January 2023

Reply from People Services Manager at The Works, July 2023

Hey. Thanks for taking the time to provide your feedback and we're sorry that you're not enjoying your experience. However, overtime is paid at your normal hourly rate and we're therefore unsure what you're referring to in saying that you are paid £1 less - can you please email us with details via payrollandbenefits@theworks.co.uk so that we can look into this for you? Thanks, The Works Team.

Best thing

Getting to work in my favourite place & offering great products

Worst thing

Location (too far from eating places) poor management team & not enough work.

3.0

Sales assistant at The Works, December 2022

Reply from People Services Manager at The Works, July 2023

Hey. Thanks for taking the time to provide your feedback and sorry that you don't seem to be enjoying your experience working for us. We've been working hard in recent months to increase contracted hours for our colleagues in stores. You're also able to work at other stores should you wish to. If you could provide us with more detail regarding your feedback on 'poor management' we will look into this - please email peopleservices@theworks.co.uk. Thanks, The Works Team.

Best thing

Seems like a fun place from the outside. Great if you are a person that does a lot of arts and crafts.

Worst thing

1. No security
2. Not allowed to use enough staff to cover the shifts properly for safety of staff and stock.
3. Area manager never listened, store probably still has the same locks on even through the management have been told repeatedly.
4. No lunch breaks because of being short staffed.
5. No way to get rid of old stock. It sits in store until you sell it for 10p or it rots away.
6. Head office don't listen to staff or management.
7. Using old redundant ways of working rather than updating systems. It cheaper to stay paper based but makes an actual nightmare for staff to get through the day.

3.7

Store manager at The Works, December 2022

Reply from People Services Manager at The Works, July 2023

Hey. Thanks for taking the time to leave your review and we're sorry that you didn't enjoy working with us. To deal with some of your specific points in turn: 1. We have introduced personal safety alarms into all stores and we're currently undertaking a proof of concept trial for body worn video camera's. 2. We believe that the hours provided to stores are sufficient, but it's difficult to respond fully based on the limited information available. 3. We're unable to respond fully due to the limited information, so please contact us via peopleservices@theworks.co.uk to provide further information. 4. As per 3. 5. We've been investing in our Buying and Merchandising teams and changing the way they work together, as well introducing a new stock system to improve insight and help us improve what stock is delivered to each store and when, which we believe will resolve this problem. 6. Please provide further feedback on this to peopleservices@theworks.co.uk so that we can look into it for you and provide you with a response. 7. We're investing in our systems - we recognise that there is work to do. We're in the process of rolling out new EPOS software, we've recently introduced a new stock system as mentioned above and we're also aiming to introduce a new Time & Attendance system in 2024. Thanks, The Works Team.

Best thing

Challenging, emphasis on progression

Worst thing

Pay, only 2 staff working at once at all times

3.0

Supervisor at The Works, November 2022

Reply from People Services Manager at The Works, July 2023

Hey. Thanks for taking the time to provide your feedback and sorry that you're not enjoying your experience with us. The number of colleagues in store / the total hours available for the week is determined by a number of factors including the size of the store and its turnover, which we're of the view is working well, but please reach out to your Area Manager with any concerns. Thanks, The Works Team

Best thing

The people i get to work with

Worst thing

We haven't had a manager since july (october now)

7.0

Sales assistant at The Works, October 2022

Reply from People Services Manager at The Works, July 2023

Hey. Thanks for taking the time to provide your feedback, we're glad that you're generally enjoying your experience working with us. There have been well documented labour shortages in the UK over the past 12 months which can sometimes make it difficult to recruit, but we always support in this situation by having manager's from our other local stores step in to help. Thanks, The Works Team.

Best thing

The team is so friendly and always happy to help me when I'm unsure

9.0

Sales assistant at The Works, September 2022

Reply from People Services Manager at The Works, July 2023

Hey. Thanks for taking the time to provide your feedback, we're delighted that you're having such an enjoyable experience working with us. Thanks, The Works Team.

Best thing

The friendly staff

Worst thing

The pay

7.3

Sales assistant at The Works, September 2022

Reply from People Services Manager at The Works, July 2023

Hey. Thanks for taking the time to provide your feedback, we're glad to see that you're having a generally positive experience working with us. Thanks, The Works Team.

Best thing

Seeing regular customers, we are all one big family, great support system.

Worst thing

Rotas can change last minute, manager is a little anxious which makes us all feel anxious.

3.9

Supervisor at The Works, September 2022

Reply from People Services Manager at The Works, July 2023

Hey. Thanks for taking the time to provide your feedback and we're sorry that you don't seem to be enjoying your experience with us as much as we would like. Unfortunately, unforeseen circumstances can result in last minute rota changes from time to time. If you feel this is happening to frequently, please discuss your concerns with your Store Manager or Area Manager. Thanks, The Works Team

Best thing

The store team and meeting new people

Worst thing

The pay

7.3

Sales assistant at The Works, August 2022

Reply from People Services Manager at The Works, July 2023

Hey. Thanks for taking the time to provide your feedback and we're glad to see that your experience with us has been positive. Thanks, The Works Team.

Best thing

25% staff discount, at certain times throught the year, we get 50% staff discount, if you have to cover another store you get paid for the travel and parking expenses.

Worst thing

Certain things I want from the store are excluded from the 50% staff discount event

6.1

Supervisor at The Works, August 2022

Reply from People Services Manager at The Works, July 2023

Hey. Thanks for taking the time to leave your feedback. Unfortunately, for differing reasons, we're not able to include all products in the double discount events or for the general 25% discount, but we think you'll agree that the vast majority of products are included. Thanks, The Works Team.

Best thing

Secure job, everyone has can do loveing attitude.

Worst thing

Poor pay, understaffed head office don’t realistically know how much time jobs take.

2.3

Manager at The Works, August 2022

Reply from People Services Manager at The Works, July 2023

Hey. Thanks for taking the time to leave this feedback and sorry that you're not enjoying your experience with us. We increased pay rates for our Managers by 7% this year, so hopefully this has gone some way to addressing your concern. Should you feel you that you don't have the required staffing for your store, please discuss this with your Area Manager in the first instance so that they can advise you. Thanks, The Works Team.

Best thing

Can be fun at times but it varies between every store

Worst thing

Complete lack of respect and understanding of what we do

1.6

Assistant manager at The Works, July 2022

Reply from People Services Manager at The Works, July 2023

Hey. Thanks for taking the time to provide this feedback and we're sorry that your experience has been negative. Can you please contact us via peopleservices@theworks.co.uk to provide us with more detail regarding your concerns? Thanks, The Works Team.

Best thing

the people i work with

Worst thing

busy hours. sat sun and holidays

4.9

Waitress at The Works, July 2022

Reply from People Services Manager at The Works, July 2023

Hey. Thanks for taking the time to provide this feedback and we're sorry to see such a low score. Hopefully, you understand that we need to be open at weekends and on bank holidays, as is the norm in the retail sector. Thanks, The Works Team.

Best thing

The staff are great, and we sell a huge range of products.

Worst thing

The job itself is great but some shops need updating to help staff work more efficiently

8.9

Retail assistant at The Works, July 2022

Reply from People Services Manager at The Works, July 2023

Hey. Thanks for taking the time to provide this feedback, we're glad you enjoy working with us. We're undertaking a programme of store refits and relocations to assist with modernising our store estate - keep a lookout on MyWorks for the latest news. Thanks, The Works Team.

Best thing

Fun work colleagues, great product

Worst thing

Pay

4.8

Manager at The Works, June 2022

Best thing

The shop team are really nice and understanding

Worst thing

The higher ups don’t care about you just care about money

3.9

Supervisor at The Works, March 2022

Best thing

Working with good colleagues and when you have happy customers

Worst thing

Customer that treat you with respect

9.6

Sales assistant at The Works, January 2022

Best thing

I work with a good team. There is job security at the moment

Worst thing

Hours model has recently changed, leaving very tight on staffing. Having to work far more full weekends than I used to

8.0

Store manager at The Works, July 2021

Best thing

My co-workers and I have a good dynamic

Worst thing

Travel, no reimbursement, unclear instructions

2.6

Sales assistant at The Works, June 2021

Best thing

Close to home
Caters to many different retail sectors

Worst thing

Constantly moving the shop to keep up with head office request

8.7

Manager at The Works, May 2021

Best thing

The people I work with

Worst thing

Dealing with angry customers

6.4

Sales assistant at The Works, April 2021

Best thing

Guaranteed hours

Worst thing

Head office set tasks on top of the general tasks needed

7.6

Assistant manager at The Works, April 2021

Best thing

I am allowed to get on with my job.
I am respected and well thought of.
My team value each other

Worst thing

Taking in delivery can be hard work

9.9

Store manager at The Works, February 2021

Best thing

Not far to travel and can travel the country coveting stores

Worst thing

Constantly changing lay out and not enough time to give promotion a chance to work

7.6

Assistant manager at The Works, January 2021

Best thing

Fits around school

Worst thing

The company is so focused on money they forget staff are human beings

2.4

Sales assistant at The Works, December 2020

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