sales consultant

sales associate

administrator

assistant manager

manager

The-Watches-of-Switzerland-Group

The workplace culture is extremely toxic and the senior management is very much a boys club.

At times, the store management team talk to staff like dirt. Training was none existent for me (with the exception of L&D led workshops) however I was expected to train new starters on thing I wasn't even aware of. If you make a mistake on something you were not trained on, you'll be pulled up on it. Asking multiple times to be shown how to use a system only to be ignored and then pulled up for not using it correctly.

I would like to say this was just an issue in my store. However, it was the same in many of the other stores I visited and confirmed by others during centralised training sessions.

The commission structure is really bad in comparison to competitors. 1-2% of MARGIN made but only if the store hits target. This would see some staff selling £350k of watches/ jewellery in a month and not get a penny for their troubles. Even so, that would be a small payout in comparison to the work needed to hit those numbers.

On the odd occasion that commission was achieved, it would feel as though the following months target was increased to avoid paying out again. Targets would very rarely be produced until a few days after the month had started and would even change as the month went on.

Discount scheme sounds appealing until they let you know a majority of the brands people want are not included within the discount scheme. You have to apply for the discount too which can be a very time consuming process.

Very little opportunity to enjoy time off as phones calls from management would be constant. 

When attending brand training, you would not be given a hotel if you could travel within 2.5hrs. In the cases where a hotel was issued, you would be expected to travel down on your day off or after completing a full shift.

Overall, it took a huge toll on my mental health and I am much happier and less stressed after leaving.

The positive 
Some of the hire up's are actually nice and approachable.
You get to go to brand events. 
Have chance to go and visit great watch trainings with the relevant watch brands. 
The products that you are selling are actually great with good selection to offer for clients. 

The NEGATIVE 
Unorganised, unprofessional management.
You can find yourself in very uncomfortable situations just becouse management being unprofessional talking about other colleagues business or even clients. 
- Underpaid, undervalued staff...
-They use you and abuse you with empty promises but no promotion.
-taking holidays with days off together is a tabu
But working 6-7-8 days in a row is a must.... 
-getting a discount is ridiculous you have to apply for everything then wait for it to get it approved. .. if the management doesnt like you they can even delay the approval. 
- Completely unorganised 
-benefits are not great. Proper health care is ONLY FOR MANAGEMENT... so much for taking care of the staff...
-if you are a sales person you get to earn good commission, but if you are anything else but that like back of house team or host team the bonus is very low compared to other brands they tryingto comparethe wage to.... 
- You ONLY get commission on the products margins not on your actual sales.
- communication with management or HR is impossible as no one is willing to listen 

You get to spend time and meet some amazing people working here; you get to make relationships with customers and build
memories with them. 

The only downside is the management and the commission structure. Management is very dictorial in the meaning that there are certain rules imposed which makes if feel like a secondary school. One example would be that you are not allowed to take your blazer off even though you’re feeling warm or there’s problems with the AC. 

Commission structure is a bit unreasonable as in order to achieve commission the whole
store needs to hit a margin target. This can be quite annoying as you need to rely on your team to hit your commission and most of the times no one tells you what the margin target is and how it works. So you would be put in a situation where you made a few good sales but you might not achieve any commission . While working with brands like Rolex and Omega where the brand sells itself I do understand this comission structure. However, on other brands such as Tag Heuer or Breitling where you do need to sell the product it can be quite a demoralising experience when you give your best to sell and you are not getting rewarded.

Awful company to work for, they lear you in with an incentive, making sure you know it’s going to be ‘luxury’ you have to hit your whole boutiques profit margin before even seeing any tiny sign of your 1% or 2% commission.

Management will do anything in their power to climb the ladder and progress but only want this for themselves, so will do anything in their power to knock who ever is in their way to get there, be careful with your contract because if you discuss hours you can do they can easily change this and give you only a 4 weeks notice for this to take place, even id you have stated what you can work as.

I felt lost within the company, I had no passion to want to learn anymore, I had been left in the boutique on your own sometimes for hours just looking at 4 walls, waiting in hope for clients/customers to come in and look or potentially buy a watch.

The managers are all about what things look like to the big bosses on their work system but not how the boutique is run as a whole. 

You’ll work long days and sit around a lot, I lost all motivation, everyone talks because their is just not enough to do in the day, so if you join make sure you have thick skin.  

A typical day at work was being bitched about by upper management, being understaffed with no intention to hire good, hard working, experienced people and not hitting target due to unreasonably high targets and a quiet store. A typical month was being ignored by upper management for cover and struggling to even get a day off, for minimal pay or so much as a thank you. Commission scheme changed several times and there was a year where none of my team saw commission. They say there is opportunities for progression, until you express interest and they tell you that you’re not experienced enough, or that you just “aren’t ready yet”. Then they hire someone with no prior experience who you are then left to train. If you apply for any management job within this company, whether it’s WOS, Goldsmiths or Mappin&Webb, be prepared to be gaslit, unfulfilled and drained of absolutely any life. 

There’s no development or support here. So if you’re after progression you’ll quickly find yourself held back. They have no method for keeping bad management in line and stopping immoral and dishonest practice. Even if you report to HR, they will simply run straight to the manager that was reported, tell them everything and then not do anything leaving you in a worse position. Staff are expendable and the companies higher ups have no idea what goes on in showrooms. Their front is very luxurious and great but once in you quickly realise how little you are valued. 

Workplace culture is each person only caring about them self and and being as lazy as possible while moaning anytime someone else does the same thing.  A typical day is being micromanaged, spoken to disrespectfully, trying to find time to get tasks done while serving clients to try get some commission despite the new scheme being a total scam and then going home feeling completely deflated and unfulfilled. Only benefit is getting to handle nice watches. 

Pros:
Great colleagues and strong customer relationships. Opportunities to gain qualifications and experience.

Cons:
Understaffed, heavily target-driven, and micromanaged by regional management. Commission is low and allocation isn’t always transparent. The culture favours those who are disengaged or frequently absent, while employees who challenge processes are closely monitored. Once known for valuing people and client experience, the company now feels more focused on profit, losing some of its core values.

Advice to Management:
Invest in staffing, improve transparency, reduce micromanagement, and refocus on people and client experience. Promote the people managers that Lead.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Hard to find any positives. Unless you are willing to behave in a particular way then this is not a pleasant place to work. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Senior management and the bullying and toxic work environment that is actively encouraged. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Toxic. Bullying is encouraged and laughed about by senior management. The way they conduct themselves is nothing short of disgusting. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Awful. Very high pressured from day one. No room for learning or if mistakes are made then life is made very difficult.

No positive work culture- complete disengagement from directors and senior managers and normal sales staff on visits. Micromanagement from unqualified (maybe not supported) managers. Managers in my experience are bullies, self serving and controlling who fail to acknowledge their best staff members contributions. More like an old boys club, no meritocracy more who you get along with. 
A lot of things are in place for show and tick box exercises but have little to no real world value. Managers go unchecked and there is no duty of care for employees mental well-being.

This company is full of bullies. Back stabbing, aggressive company, everyone gossips about each other. I’ve watched people leave like a domino effect due to the POOR pay, poor work culture and poor management and certain managers LOVE to micromanage and are bullies. Managers treat you with no respect, if they don’t like you, they’ll find a way to get rid of you asap. They’ll force you to do the shifts they want you to do just so they can have a social life and you don’t.

 The company don’t care about their staff, only their to money grab.  Commission is abmysal. My mental health kept on deteriorating working for this company and along side the staff. 

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Sales consultant 5 salaries reported	£27,334 per year
Sales associate 6 salaries reported	£25,740 per year
Administrator 2 salaries reported	£12.50 per hour
Assistant manager 3 salaries reported	£31,667 per year
Manager 4 salaries reported	£46,000 per year

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