support worker

executive support officer

surveyor

care worker

facilitator

Pobl-Group

This company should be avoided, induction and other training very good However in practice, there is a bullying  culture, where staff have made grievancies , policy and procedures are in place, but it falls alon deaf ears, staff using these procedures are clearly made to feel they are a nusvuence.
Management and HR advisors  stick very closely together and pull rank, very good at turning the blame around to the individual
HR dept is very small so is unable to deal with issues within reasonable time scales, often delaying any investigations etc, due to a frequent snow balling effect, you have to make your own judgement to why this company has so many investigations.

Support worker Rotas  are constantly changed with no regard to a support Workers work/life balance. Whether you as a support worker has signed a working hours disclaimer or not, it’s made clear it is expected that you work over your contracted hours when needed and at very short notice 

Staff often are expected to cover the shift when a colleague does not turn up to work , when they may have already completed a morning shift, to be then be expected to work the late shift , with no regard to a individual’s support workers curcumstances in their private life, saying that Service Users come first.

Professional boundaries between team managers and lead support workers are questionable 

Staff Rotas can be changed daily without adequate and reasonable notice 

Staff are exipected to look at their emails even when off duty , when working with a service user, and to respond as read.

Pobl have have many acquisitions, Gwalia, Reach etc, more than they can cope with, a significant amount of staff on different terms and conditions , much less favourable to their colleagues, consultation processes to harmonise are protracted , leaving many staff stressed and unhappy.

Staff are not allowed to give opinion, if they do , their life  is made uncomfortable by seemingly  creating a sense of ‘ constructively trying to dismiss colleagues, many who have not been in employment for 2 yrs or more, and so have no rights to claim a case at Industrial Tribunal, hence staff are forced to resign, leaving Service Users having to build up new relationships. Recruitment of new staff is challenging fir managers, but it’s obvious as to why. 

Many new services have not yet had their first CQC inspection long after 12 months, so despite internal audits being taken out, objective audits by CQC are not.. 

There are thousands of other companies that have people management trained managers , healthy and motivated work places, and who treat there staff with respect and dignity , strongly consider those first.

working in one of the care schemes for linc cymru is an enjoyable experience day to day as long as you don't need anything from the managers above them or head office. the teams in the schemes are great.. carers, domestics, kitchen staff, scheme managers. they all work well together most of the time (nothings perfect). the residents are the real treat as you meet so many different people and they are really appreciative of what you do for them. working in the role I had I worked 7am - 2pm which was a great work/life balance given the profession I am in. but because of this work/life balance Linc openly said they will pay less than a lot of places that will make you work evenings. 

The higher management and head office staff seem to think they are on a higher level than the ones doing the ground work in the schemes. there is no support from the higher management and no given structure to certain elements of work. higher up staff members are paid certain allowances no questions asked where lower down staff members are not even told that these allowances may be available to them. every 3-4 months we receive an 80p chocolate bar in the post (not a joke) and told that they care about us.. might as well slap us in the face to go with it.

on more than several occasions I have been asked to come in on my days off or when I'm on annual leave and when I have responded saying I am unable to I would get a response along the lines of "well I guess they wont have any food today then will they". a senior manager putting that guilt on its staff because they failed to organise cover themselves is not acceptable. then when it was brought to the attention of an even senior member of staff nothing was said about it and it was brushed under the carpet 

IT staff don't seem to understand that not everyone is good with technology. given the task of simply helping someone change a password for online learning they are given back a whole lot of attitude for no reason. considering some staff members won't sign into a computer for months at a time I would think they would be a little more understanding. 

the current CEO I never saw him. only on videos he would post to YouTube from his big house telling us all how great the company is doing but with no reward for it. there was a big switch in the way the company was run when he came in, it went from being tenant focused to money/profit focused. 


There is no typical day in this role. Each shift brings unpredictable challenges, from crisis management to safeguarding issues, often in high-pressure and emotionally intense situations. I developed strong problem-solving skills and resilience, but at a cost.

Management prioritises protecting the company over supporting staff, resulting in a lack of transparency, fairness, and accountability. Decisions often feel predetermined, with investigations and procedures seemingly designed to justify outcomes rather than assess situations objectively.

The workplace culture is toxic—high expectations, minimal support, and clear discrepancies in terms and conditions between frontline support staff and the wider business (fewer holidays, lower pay, and little recognition). Workloads are unrealistic, and burnout is common.

The organisation promotes itself as a FREDIE employer, championing fairness, respect, equality, diversity, inclusion, and engagement—but the reality is very different. The moment you raise an issue under FREDIE that actually requires meaningful support, it is dismissed as unviable or turned against you. The rhetoric does not match the reality.

If you work here, protect yourself from day one. Document everything, especially “off the record” conversations, as they will be used against you. Dangerous individuals operate unchecked, causing harm while being rewarded for their actions.

Despite wanting to make a genuine difference for colleagues and clients, don’t expect meaningful support. You will likely face betrayal, especially from those you try to help, including staff and upper management. The company culture fosters self-preservation at the expense of integrity.

I've worked as both permanent and relief staff for pobl over 4+years and can honestly say that being a relief staff member was far easier to deal with than being a permanent member of staff due to being your own boss basically and getting out of toxic staff/management

Pro's..
Working with some of the most vulnerable young people in society is a highly rewarding job role and the relationships you build are testament to the support you provide.

Working as casual i could pick and choose my shifts for any location i wanted. (Newport has the highest areas for cover in my case)

Pobl does provide great training opportunities and also a care service if you are struggling with your mental health.

Con's
The management i dealt with was horrendous. Not suitable to run two projects at once. relying on SSO to pick up the dirt and bore the front of high risk behavior. 

Lone working was used way too much and left me in vulnerable positions at times. If someone phoned in sick then it would be MY responsibility to stay and cover the waking night shift even on a 12 hour day shift. 

Whatsapp should NEVER be used for talking about service users. Highly unprofessional.

I can state that this may not be the same for all projects as there were a number that i have worked in which were run excellent.

I think that to benefit the company it would be excellent if they could provide training for those working with young people to undertake a level 2/3 in youth work as only then will some staff realise how much work it takes to support a young person with high support needs.


I’ve worked for Penylan House for 6 years, I done Care and helped in other areas, I been through the changes of management and some staff do not like changes because they are stuck in old ways (I believe that’s why some of the bad reviews) the new management have new fresh ideas and she’s very available any time you need to speak to her, she is fair and addresses situations there and then, our workplace is multicultural (manager, other staff and myself are not British) and I don’t believe she makes any difference with this but the opposite,  the home is clean and most of the staff are happy (I have never know a place where everyone is happy) the pay could improve as they are long shifts but you also have free weekends with the rolling rota so you can just plan ahead your days I have worked nights and days and the routines is  different and I do find that teams should work more together but everyone does have their priorities right which is the residents who I believe are happy to live there as is plenty of activities and choices for them to choose, we also have PLENTY of training AND you get paid for it so is no excuse and you always are uptodate with your training as they are on top of it which I think is very important, I enjoyed working with Penylan and I do not have plans to leave as I’m very happy working here I have seen people leaving sometimes but most of them is because they don’t Get their own way and don’t like changes, in order to improve changes have to be made.

When I started with the organisation I was really pleased with the role and structure. They'd recently had an interim director who was able to create a very positive work culture within the department. The directors and senior management have their offices with the employees and their doors are always open.
My days are varied between completing site based roles, office based administration, training, and support for a wide cross section of the group.
Communication within the work team was good and gave plenty of opportunity to learn from others with different skills and experience. Training and qualifications relevant to your role is also positively encouraged.
For the most part, management have been very approachable and supportive, but as with anywhere, there do appear to be cliques where progress and flexibility is concerned.
The role has been great, with the freedom to develop policy and procedures with the support of the organisation. Although the dynamism has been tempered with the requirements to ensure the larger organisation is working collaboratively.
The organisation has recently merged, which has lead to many challenges, which may take some time to return to the positive place I found at the beginning of my employment.

As a Strategic EDI Lead, a typical day blends strategic planning with people‑centred work: analysing data, co‑designing actions with colleagues and customers, running inclusive workshops, and partnering with HR, L&D and Comms to embed change. I’ve learned a huge amount about leading culture change - how to combine evidence with lived experience, build partnerships, and turn intent into measurable outcomes.
Management is visible and values‑led. Leaders are open to challenge, provide psychological safety, and give real autonomy alongside clear accountability. The workplace culture genuinely lives FREDIE (Fairness, Respect, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Engagement): colleague networks are listened to, accessible practices are the norm, and colleagues look out for one another.
What I enjoy most is the sense of purpose and impact - seeing policies, training and design decisions remove barriers and improve experiences.  If you care about inclusion and want your work to matter, this is a great place to grow and contribute.

Generally a nice olace to work because of the other staff there, most carers/nurses are friendly and reliable and generally bring a good atmosphere to the working day. Though there are some exceptions! 

Pay is not great for the work load especially for days in my opinion as carers are run ragged for 12 hour shifts.

Main problem is the management. They may do well for the company but for their staff... the ones below them, i would say not so much. Management dont listen to staffs concerns/worries and certainly dont listen if theres a problem that they need to address with an elder i.e they take the elders word over the staff without hesitation even if all staff saying same thing, management rather blame staff for the issue.

12 hr shifts work pretty well to give a good work/ life balance though the 3 days straight is very tiring and hard work. 

Generally a good home, very clean etc could offer more food choices for elders and could allow more time for staff to sit and interact with residents but carers run ragged so hardly get time to sit and do activities etc. Eden project great... if it can even be achieved!

Most of the houses I'd worked in under POBL (Formerly Seren-group and Reach) had staff which were absolutely lovely to be around and made the job quite fun, while the needs of the clients kept you on your toes almost always.
Many of the houses have "sleep shifts", for example one might enter work at 1400, be on shift for 9 hours, then stay the night in the house as a "just incase" shift, then wake 9 hours later for another 9 hour shift, meaning one would be in the house for a full 27 hours. The houses do have bathroom and bedding facilities for those on sleeping night shifts.
The company tried to rely solely on its contracted staff which often leaves its relief without any regular hours, these relief tend to leave the job to get something more reliable, then when relief staff is needed, there's a lot of effort to cover those shifts.
This was my first full time employment job and it was very unnerving to get started with due to the needs of the clients and all the training/qualifications required. Being thrown in at the deep end with some fantastic staff members mentoring me was a great boost for my confidence, and for that I am thankful.

Having work for Pobl for a few years I can honestly say it is one of the better companies I have ever worked for. The values are not just buzz words but are intrench in everything they do. Staff are polite, friendly, approachable and helpful. From the first day of training they covered how important my wellbeing and work life balances is, something I’ve never had from a company before. I got to meet senior management team at a welcome event which was nice, and they came across as very passionate in what they do and for the company. They’ve made sure I had all the correct training and understanding for the role and the training was excellent. The Management team are very supportive, approachable and always have time for a chat and a catch up, no matter how busy they are. There are opportunities to progress within  the company and they are very helpful in supporting staff that want to. It’s not perfect by any means but you get the feeling working here that everyone is doing what they can to make it the best for the people we support and for our staff.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Support worker 286 salaries reported	£12.90 per hour
Executive support officer 43 salaries reported	£24,515 per year
Surveyor 9 salaries reported	£41,574 per year
Care worker 23 salaries reported	£12.91 per hour
Facilitator 3 salaries reported	£33,128 per year

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