quantity surveyor

senior engineer

electrician

utility manager

civil engineer

Kier Group

This company are a complete and total shambles. From the point of application to starting work for this company, nothing ever went smoothly. Should have rung alarm bells, but nonetheless I pursued a 'career' with these jokers. Heres a small list of the reasons why these cowboys are an absolute joke.

1. Job advert is a lie. Salary of 26k is a joke, not achievable ever, especially when they make you pay for your tools and recharge you for absolutely everything they can. Manager laughed at me when I mentioned the earnings during the interview.

2. Work hours. Absolute insanity, you'll give your life to these people and get nothing in return. Working from 7 or 8am depending on the day, often being bullied into working late and extra hours. Not too much of a problem if you get paid for this, but no, they won't pay you for your additional hours.

3. Management are all absolutely useless. No support from management, all they care about is 'getting the job in' and not concerned for the safety of the installers or the actual quality of work. Management often advise/force technicians to do certain things that are not safe or are not the way that you get trained to work. They have no care for your personal lives, often threatening disciplinary or get sacked if you call in sick. Management have created an ethos in the depot where there is a terrible stigma associated with being sick. To them, no one ever gets sick, its always a lie to get out of work. Management do not care about anything apart from their job completion rate, meaning the technicians always go above and beyond for this company and never get anything in return apart from a beat down session in the weekly team meetings.

4. Pay is unbelievable. Believe me when I say that in order to earn a decent amount of money out of these people, you are going to have to learn a whole new language called BOM codes. A 'special set of codes' used to pay the technicians according to the work they've done. In reality, these codes are a way that the company can basically keep money from you. You'll never learn the 100+ BOM codes and their associated values you need to fill in on your timesheet every day. You'll work ridiculous hours daily, and will have to still put in some extra work at the end of the day working out your codes, but when you get paid, it is the equivalent to minimum wage!

5. Occasional Monday work. Well thats another lie, unless occasional is every second Monday. Working 6 day weeks twice a month becomes normal procedure with these guys, and if you for any reason can not work a Monday, you can certainly expect to be called into a meeting about your 'unauthorised absence.'

6. Charges are just madness. Believe me, this job will keep you busy, and you will pay for the smallest mistake you make. If its time or money, they will make you pay. You can get charged ridiculous amounts of money for necessary tools to cary out the job if they break. According to them, these tools are indestructible and will never break, so if they ever do, you will be paying a premium price for rubbish equipment.

7. Technicians do the training and then are often quickly forced operate in the field alone, carrying out full installations before they have done their LTO (Licence to operate) meaning that they can not actually get paid for the jobs they've done, and as far as I am currently aware, are not insured . So the management then assign those particular jobs to their favourite technicians so that they can claim the pay for the job that has essentially been carried out by an unqualified technician.

There so much more to go on about, all I can advise is AVOID THIS COMPANY. Do yourself a favour.

I was with Kier Services South (Islington) for seven years (straight from Paramount restaurants where the main task was reconciling the age creditors report to the control account for the previous seven years and as they were purchasing fifty new premises where I controlled the capital control account as well as ensuing these capital cost where agreed with the venture capital investment company. 
Leading on from that, at Kier I had to instigate new invoice procedures for stock and expense invoices and E-Invoicing and Flat Files. I lead the operational reviews in conjunction with I.T. to facilitate an accurate and smooth transition from the old system to the new way of processing and resolving any problems that might occur this was in part due to changes in staff and operative’s way of working and the need to improve KPI’s reporting. 
 I organised training of the staff to enable them to process invoices in an accurate and timely manner, Making sure they reconciled statements and communicating differences and reasons for not being able to process their invoice for payment. I inviting suppliers in to review the introduction of new systems in order to make them aware of the information and the format required from them in order to avoid late payments and our account being suspended.
I also oversaw the CIS rules for subcontractors where implemented accurately when setting up new ones and any changes throughout the year were captured and implemented .Their CIS number and  UTR number there correct as failure to establish their correct tax status could lead to us being liable for their income tax payments and any subcontractors they had dealings with tax as well so ensuring they were reporting income and purchases within the tax regulations were up to date was imperative..
I was responsible for the managing of five staff covering Islington, Gosport, Harlow, Hammersmith and Ealing contracts and overseeing the implementation of the new Circle and Granger contracts. This enfold the training of new staff working in different locations who had been used to their old ways of reporting purchase, verifying which temp staff were assigned to which contract and  insuring all cost were approved by the correct contract manager.
This was the first time Kier had contracts the Housing associations and on much larger regional scales. They had always been with local councils before. 
I was responsible for Purchase ledger, Subcontract contract and Expenses processing to ledgers and payments. I also assist with all stock and special purchase receipts with the Purchasing team in Islington and the processing of goods from Buildbase (Flat file, Van Stock and special purchases). 
Flat files as a way of purchasing thousands of items on one invoice was a totally new system to me. I had to learn about how it worked and to work with the supplier to make sure they could deliver the audit control to us. As we recharged all purchase to our clients the costing to the correct project codes for goods and temp staff  had to be traceable back to source.   
I controlled the opening of all new suppliers and Subcontractors to ensure they comply with Kiers rules regarding Bank, Vat and that compliance with the Health and safety teams requirements were adhered to.

I have recently started working at Kier in Scotland. I have hesitated to take the job due to the group's financial struggles and the fundamental company restructure. I took the job and I have to say I am very positively surprised. The firm is very flexible, accommodating and inclusive. People have completely embraced me as a new employee, I feel supported and encouraged in my work. The career progression and perspectives are widening as the firm is trying to improve employee work-life balance and retain current employees. I like the periodic performance reviews where I can set my own goals, develop my skills and grow my career. At the end of week 1 have already been assigned my own projects and tasks. No micromanaging, they are adopting agile working so I can work from home, office, site - based on the project needs and my preferences. I have received a brand new laptop, mobile phone, home monitor, all other IT straight away and my selected PPE arrived within a week. The firm has improved their financial stability since I started and is actively pushing for more sustainable business as well as diversity. I like the simple expenses reimbursement culture, company car/car allowance and annual salary reviews. The IT support  can be a real pain though. Overall, a big surprise, very positive experience, really pleasant environment to work in, interesting projects secured for next year and good career prospects. I am excited to see what the future brings.

A typical day for me will be to wake up at 7am and turn on my handheld pda computer which will bring up all the work I have to complete today. On a typical day I will have roughly 7-8 jobs. I leave my house at 7.40am and go straight to the first job for 8am. Depending on the job, it could take any time from 10 minutes to 4 hours to complete. Once the first job is completed I shall move onto the next job and so on until I have cleared all jobs. If I finish the jobs to early, I would phone up the office and take another to fill my working day up.
I have learnt a great deal working within the industry as we are always having toolbox talks and they are a great way of learning about several different topics.
The management at Kier do try their best to help myself and my co-workers. When we get a letter or phone call from a tenant saying how pleased they are with the work we have undertaken in their property we do usually get a thank you from our foreman which does boost morale slightly.
I have worked with all my co-workers since 2003 and they are a great bunch. Everyone gets on well and because of that, it makes working there much easier and more enjoyable.
The hardest part of the day is when the pda computer keeps going off with more jobs coming through that we have to try and complete in a day so we end up having to rush to much which does make some aspects of the job a little stressful. Apart from that it is an enjoyable place to work and everyday is different so you don't know what you are going to come up against from job to job.

Job Review – Plant Operator (4 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐)

I have been working as a Plant Operator for some time now, and overall, my experience has been positive. The job offers a good balance of challenges and rewards, with plenty of opportunities to gain hands-on experience with different types of machinery and equipment.

Pros:

✅ Good Work Environment – The team is supportive, and safety is a top priority. Proper training and guidelines are in place to ensure smooth operations.
✅ Decent Pay & Benefits – The salary is competitive, with good benefits, including overtime pay and job security.
✅ Skill Development – You get to work with various machines and improve your technical knowledge over time.
✅ Job Stability – With industries like construction, mining, and manufacturing always in need of skilled operators, there’s good job security.

Cons:

⚠️ Physically Demanding – The work can be tough, with long hours, exposure to harsh weather conditions, and occasional heavy lifting.
⚠️ Shift Work & Overtime – Depending on the industry, shift work (including nights and weekends) can be required, making work-life balance a bit challenging.
⚠️ Equipment Maintenance Issues – Sometimes, outdated or poorly maintained equipment can slow down work and cause frustration.

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

It’s a great job for those who enjoy hands-on work and operating heavy machinery. While it has its challenges, the benefits, job security, and skill development make it a solid career choice. A few improvements in scheduling and equipment maintenance would make it even better!



I have been with Kier for about a year now (I know, it's not a long time) but I couldn't stand to be there any longer. I will start off by saying that I am 19 years old and this is my first job out of college. A pro of this job is that the money is great especially for a 19 year old and being its my first job and I get my weekends free which is also a good thing. However, since being at Kier, I have had to be put on stronger medication for my depression and anxiety and its all down to the eminence stress and pressure that the company puts on you as an employee. I have also developed an eating disorder because I was so extremely flat out busy all of the time at work I hardly ever found time to eat. The office atmosphere is just awful. You don't get treated like an adult, it's like school all over again. The management make out that they are there to care for you but they do nothing to actually acheive this and you feel like you're left on your own to deal with problems. The amount of people that have gone off sick because of stress, anxiety or depression is actually ridiculous (including me) it's really not acceptable at all. You get victimized by managers and put on productivity plans when there are plenty of other people in the office that do less than you but it gets deliberately overseen. You never get recognition for doing good work, it's always negatives barked at you by management. This job has made me so ill, its not worth it.

Two weeks training in Avonmouth. Trainers make the job seem glamorous and that you would earn £500 - £600 a week. In reality you earn half that, your contantly chasing up monies owed to you when you’ve done overtime. Company only pays you £8.61 an hour or points per task. Half the time there isn’t enough work to go around so your stuck on what’s basically minimum wage. 

Your constantly threatened with your job if you don’t do something and then if you do, do the job and you damage something the company doesn’t back you up and throws you under a bus. Ensuring you pay every penny for the damage. 

They don’t tell you about the fact you have to pay for tooling which totals around £700 until you’ve started the job and are in training. 

I started almost three months ago and am still chasing monies up which is owed to me from week three. 

The companies a shambles, payrolls a shambles and the managers are useless. Constantly contradicting one another. 

You get given a van and that’s given to you completely filthy from the last person who had it before you. You’re expected to keep it clean and tidy yet they don’t give you anytime to do this. 

They don’t pay for the upkeep of the van such such as screenwash or for the outside of the van to be cleaned. 

You’re expected to pay for parking whilst out working. 

Most of the vans are broken and damaged and in order to get them fixed you have to personally take them to the VW garage and chase up repairs etc.

We are currently contracted to Severn Trent Water, part of my job role is to plan work for crews who clear sewerage blockages and floodings that have been reported by customers. 

Our team follows strict processes and guidelines from the beginning to the end of the job which includes keeping the customer informed and updated on all matters concerning their job. Our office environment is extremely busy and very demanding, especially when the weather is at its worst. Working within a team I will normally plan work in a county on a day to day basis, some counties are busier than others. When the crews have finished a job they will call into the office and provide details of work carried out, each job has to be closed in a particular way to ensure that it passes for payment. If this process is not followed correctly, Severn Trent Water will reject the job and Kier MG will not be paid.

I have always enjoyed working with other people, whether it’s the people I work with, in and out of the office, or with customers. I feel great satisfaction when we have provided our service efficiently towards our customers and always strive to exceed their expectations. 

Unfortunately, Kier Group has lost it's contract with Severn Trent Water to Amey who are based in Stafford and this is a little too far for me to commute daily, hence why I'm seeking new employment.

While I loved my team, it was very difficult to get anything done because of management and the unsupportive department heads in other teams. I would frequently be given a task that I did not know how to do and when I asked for guidance I would get bounced from person to person and no one would know how to do it. If I was missing information that another team had, it was incredibly difficult and painful to get cooperation from them. Again, I would be bounced around from person to person and was met with a lot of negativity just for doing my job and asking for a simple piece of information. 

The subcontractors  are incredibly rude and it took a massive toll on my mental health as the company allowed this toxic environment and did not protect the team from DAILY verbal abuse. 

No adequate parking on site - you will end up parking in another company’s lot or have someone come out of the Kier building and shout at you to go somewhere else. 

If you do a favour for someone and help them with a task one time, it will become your new permanent responsibility.

 Simple document updates and other day to day tasks move very slowly and can take months to get a cohesive response on. 

I have never worked for a company as demanding as Kier without giving anything back.
They give you a list of jobs that must be finished that day even if that means you're out until 9pm or later. Each job has an estimated average time and a usual route will keep you out until 11pm even though your hours are "8:00-18:00". Fast workers that have families to get to are critised for finishing all their jobs early and treated badly. 
You get charged £150 for lost equipment, computer glitches mean you get charged for losing boxes you never even had in your possession in the first place. You have to learn a whole new language of codes for your timesheet. These are given to you in training but believe it or not the pay role department use a whole different set then the ones you are given which obviously are less in value. These are kept secret from you, you are not allowed to see these even after asking multiple times. 
I could go on and on about the negatives of working here. 
Please read these reviews before accepting a role with Kier, these are not from bad employees being slanderous they are honest feelings towards employment with Kier.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Quantity surveyor 10 salaries reported	£35,928 per year
Senior engineer 11 salaries reported	£57,250 per year
Electrician 6 salaries reported	£16.38 per hour
Utility manager 54 salaries reported	£38,968 per year
Civil engineer 6 salaries reported	£25,969 per year

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