I am a more than competent barman, with good references and a great deal of experience. Having worked on-and-off in hospitality for ten years, I have been unimpressed by employers on a few occasions but working for Wetherspoons is the first time I have been appalled.
On applying for what was advertised as a full-time bar position at the Standing Order, I was required to complete a mandatory and rigorous personality/aptitude test. I received an email within a couple of days - inviting me to attend an interview. The gentleman who conducted the interview was well-mannered and courteous. The position, as he described it, suited me well. I'd assumed that he was likewise impressed because, at the end of the interview, I was asked to attend an induction the following day.
Conducted by a manager from another Wetherspoons outlet, the induction was professional, thorough and well-natured.
The job itself defied any reasonable expectations. Even the uniform wasn't what was advertised. A 'shirt for every day of the week' had been boldly promised. Yet, upon arriving promptly for my first shift I was asked why I hadn't brought my own. I was, seemingly reluctantly, given one shirt from a reeking cupboard.
'Bar training' consisted of a brief walk-through and being given another member of staff's workbook to directly copy out.
'Fire safety training' consisted of a rushed chat at the end of my first shift, whereupon I was told (not shown) where each fire door could be fo
A pretty bad place to work. Try to avoid, unless you are desperate.
You work extremely hard for very little money (basically minimum wage), in a hot humid and generally abusive environment. Note that when I say abusive, I'm talking about staff, not customers, who I generally didn't see. If the customers knew how badly the kitchen staff were sometimes treated I'm not sure they would continue to go there.
The rotas are constantly changing, and it's somehow your fault if you don't turn up to a shift that they changed your shift without telling you. It's a zero hour contract, so you have no real security in the money coming in, particularly when managers send you home partway through your shift to save money.
Breaks during shifts are the BARE LEGAL MINIMUM, and frequently you won't even get this. If you can't go a 10-hour shift with only 15-20 minutes break then I recommend you work elsewhere because on busy shifts that might be all you will get.
Technically you get bonuses for achieving targets, but more often than not this amounts to less than a fiver per month, so I don't really consider that to be much of a benefit.
Management generally only care about the bottom dollar (hint: you are not it) and so any issues you have (underpayment etc.) will be ignored for as long as possible until they feel like resolving it. That said, there are some nice people you could be working with (some of them are managers), which makes things slightly better.
The work-life balance can be difficult to maintain as you usually have to work when eve
Pros50% off food while on your shift, if you can afford it using your meagre wages. You also get to grow a really thick skin, which will be useful while working for them.
ConsExtremely short breaks for very long shifts, Pathetically low wage, Constantly changing rotas, Abusive managers.
I worked at wetherspoons i must say worst job ever
it was so bad i went in one day manager goes to me time to punch in i aint paying u to stand around, my shift started at 6pm and it was 20 to 6 so i thought " i quit"
This job is like a bad dream
most of the time i did closes
most of the time we had 2 staff missing
our bonus will be taken away by Tax man
Management treat you like rubbish
Late shift customers like to shout abuse
Terrible pay pay
you need like 6-7 energy drinks to keep you going
BUSY environment (sometimes we would have 2 bar staff and like
20 customers waiting)
Management get free meals( bar and kitchen staff get 50% off)
and to top it off they ask you to wear all black with office shoes
in a bar environment your feet loose Feeling.
For a company that has over 800 pubs this company is the worst
pub ever.
Also you provide excellent customer service you don't even get a thank you or even a tip.
Cleaning up waste from the toilets
some food will drop on the floor they would pick it back up and cook it sometimes "hence why i don't eat there!"
Had some manager Worst manager ever
she had 2 of her kids there, she wouldn't shout at her kids
but all the other bar staff got screamed at.
Management tends to walk all over the other staff like we are worth nothing.
The only thing i will miss is my bar colleagues such hard working kind and caring people "thanks guys for everything, you got me by them 4 months"
Proscigarette breaks
ConsShort breaks, poor management, poor wage, mad hours, Shoes! when your on your feet all day
I hated this job but stuck it out for 8 months,
The management is appalling, they deliberately employee staff that won't complain about anything.
I would not wish this job on my worst enemy.
Did not receive any holiday after filling out 6 holiday request they apparently 'lost' them.
They employee illegal immigrants that have no documents.
Management scream and swear at all the staff, I have seen people on trail shifts literally crying.
Me and another staff member wrote letters to head office about the treatment to the staff, the guy said 'at least you have a job' no official reply.
I was constantly told I was a problem member of the team, so much of a problem that they promoted me after 6 months.
I was promised a higher rate of pay for the promotion however it did not happen.
I tell every single person I meet about wetherspoons and the torture I went through, myself and family members will never eat there again, that's all of the pubs not just the one I worked in.
Please please do not work here!
ProsHalf price food if you ever get chance to have a break!
Working at Wetherspoons is OK if you don't plan on sticking around for years.
Pretty much everyone is on zero hour contracts so no hours are guaranteed and I found that some weeks I'd be working 30-40 hours, then others I'd be on less than 16 hours. As a student this was OK but obviously not suitable for everyone..
The rota's often went up on Sundays to begin the next day, which caused a lot of issues with people not turning up etc.
Can be stressful in busy periods but mostly an alright job, depending on the staff you work with. My pub was full of great people, a few bad managers but more good ones!
A bad point is the unsociable hours, but it is a pub so it's to be expected. Also a bit disappointing that you don't get paid any extra to work bank holidays, e.g. christmas/new year.
Overall I found this job to be ok whilst studying, wouldn't return unless desperate.
Pros50% discount whilst on shift, 20% discount at other times, Great if with good staff
ConsShort breaks, Random hours, Rota's not up in time, No extra pay for bank holidays
Its ok, but they will lie and make up reasons to get rid of you
The only thing good about this company is the half price food before and after your shifts, other than that, it is the worst company to work for.
During the interview for the job, I was informed that I would be getting a minimum of twenty hours a week, I soon found this not to be the case and I soon found myself working for sixteen hours a week on a "Zero Hour Contract"
The management said I was constantly late to all my shifts and said that it was a valid reason to remove me from their employment after a month of me working there.
I written a letter of complaint to the head office, who conducted an investigation quickly (the only good side of the company) who found that the management had broken "Wetherspoons" policy on employment, and of which I was offered my position back.
I left after five months and am now about to start work at a local supermarket.
Pros50% on food / drink
ConsNo breaks, was given completely different amount of hours.
Considering I only worked for the company during the Christmas period I probably got the brunt of the bad aspects of working here. Most of my shifts were at the weekends but even after specifically saying I couldn't work past midnight because there would be no way of me getting home they would continuously put my on until 1am or on a close which was beyond frustrating.
During the interview I was told that I'd be getting a raise in pay from £5.94 to £6.14 after I'd completed my training, this however didn't happen.
I found the atmosphere in the pub in general was unfriendly and cliquey. It made me feel like I was inadequate for the job and like they thought I didn't know what I was doing, despite having worked in a pub environment before. There were also a few times where male clientele tried to grab me over the bar top and made me feel very completely uncomfortable.
Every pub varies but they are all generally the same
Managers usually don't care about their staff, often seems that most of them want to get rid of members of staff they don't like. Usually ends up with 2 factions of staff, the people who get along with the managers and the ones who don't.
Associates are the most over worked and under-payed staff who are usually covering team leaders who don't turn up thus leaving the ratio between social life and work life all on the work side. Hours are usually stupidly long or stupidly short, the high end managers never listen when people say they cannot do certain days of the week. Managers have been known to grant holiday and then try and persuade the person not to take it when the date gets closer, they have also been known to bully other members of staff to try and get another member fired.
Generally a bad company to work for unless you are far enough up the chain
Money grabbing scum. I was there for 4 weeks and never wanted to go back. They first began by telling me I needed to wait for a phone call for my shifts. I waited, and waited. I phone them, turns out I had to phone THEM for shifts. Get in trouble for that. So after that week I ring again to find out my shifts, they tell me that I need to check the rota to find out my shifts now. They didn't even tell me there was a rota, or where to find that rota, despite having told me I have to ring for shifts?! They delayed my pay by 3 weeks. After being treated like a fool by my manager being mocked, and having to bite my tongue for shifts. I decided to quit, and then they hit me with a bombshell of not paying me for my month there. Absolute shoddy company I don't suggest you ever work for them, they cut every corner.
Prosdiscount, that i wasn't even told about!
Consno breaks, treated like animals, they cut every single corner.
Wetherspoons is a disgusting working environment for any human being. Understaffed, underpaid and overworked. It's practically slave labour. No career advancement opportunities especially for women, since everyone that has been promoted since I've arrived are male, unprofessional managers and many employees have experienced constructive dismissal. The managers pick on long term staff constantly and then bully them into leaving the job or transferring to another pub. Whilst on shift I have experienced bullying, gross misconduct by managers for swearing or taking the mick out of staff, inequality between managers and bar associates when everyone is equal and have suffered emotional abuse and depression since starting. I would and never will recommend wetherspoons as a top employer to anyone.
From viewing numerous reviews of the company, it is apparent that everyone's experiences vary. I honestly do believe it is whatever chain you work at and how you adapt to the role and the problems that have been thrown at you.
I have worked for two chains within close proximity, and have worked for the company for nearly 6 years taking a 2 year break to work for another company. I have worked as a full-time Bar Associate, a part-time Bar Associate when I had gone to university, a full-time Team Leader and am currently in training to become a Shift Leader. The pubs I worked at were complete opposites. One was extremely small and quiet, the other is large and busy. Small pubs are relaxing, but can feel time consuming, and larger busier pubs are a lot more challenging, but time really does fly.
Your benefits:
1. 50% off of food - you can receive this one hour before your shift, during your shift, and one hour after your shift.
2. Staff drinks - only soft drinks (including Pepsi, Monster, coffee) and they can range from 50p - 65p (the current rate for 2015/16, it may change).
3. 20% off of food for your family - providing you are eating or sitting with them, and that there are up to 3 meals within your order.
4. 20% off of food when visiting other chains of Wetherspoons - you will need to log onto myjdw.co.uk to prove you work for the company, and be served by a Team Leader or anyone higher.
5. Bonuses - but this all depends on the performance of the pub, ie. how much
ProsFood and drink discounts, new higher wage (National Living Wage rather than Minimum Wage), easy to progress, social aspect, flexibility of hours.
ConsShort breaks, lots of cleaning, sometimes overly inappropriate customers.
1. First and foremost is the managers. They have no respect for the staff at all, especially if they come from another pub. They will and still are trying to do their best to make you want to leave (constructive dismissal). they have done this by changing our work circumstances to make life harder whilst working.
The attitudes of the managers are disgusting and are brushed off has ‘banter’ when really it’s just them in a bad mood and taking it out on you and your fellow colleagues. That swear, degrade and embarrass you in front of other members of staff and customers.
They ignore a tone of complaints regarding how we as staff are treated and then they constantly blackmail you into coming in on your days off because some lazy team me ever couldn’t be bothered to get up and work that day. But if you don’t come in and help they will threaten you to give you hours you don’t want and times and days you hate doing just to wind you up. Our new pub manager is not a manager you can approach and discuss like adults about circumstances. If you ever do want to talk they will ignore you and tell you to go to to leave them alone.
2. The hours are never consistent but they are consistently messed up and all over the place which means when we get our rota up for the next week, the entire empires are swapping shift around and messing thing up even more.
3. Wages are diabolical for a man and company that worth more than £200million. When I first started, I was on £6.60 per hou
ProsCuntomer Friendships and People you work with who aren’t managers
I have worked for this company for many years and progressed as a shift manager. After all these years I can tell you that this is the worst possible business model ever created.
If you are seeking a real career turn around now this is not the place for you. If you have started at this job or progressed and thinking hey this actually might be OK, it will not be turn around and run like there is a fire!
The issues I am talking about here are not dependent of your pub manager or area manager or all the people you see day to day, the main problem here is the HQ so everything applies to every employee.
Headoffice makes new decisions everyweek sometimes change their minds in a couple of days and as the bridge between customers and them you end up having to explain why something has changed so suddenly. Information is completely lost with so many stupid, irrational decisions.
EXAMPLE:
The hourly paid ( non managerial) staff gets +£1 for working after 0000 which is a great idea to motivate them for late shifts (since nobody wants to work them and will come up with any excuse not to)
However at the same time they have decided to order the annualy paid managers ( no pay for extra hours) to reduce late working hours to save money. So all these staff that are encouraged to work later shifts are being pressured now to hurry up and finish early.
So is the Headoffice trying to create conflict between managers and staff? YES they are because when the staff is not happy with HO t
I currently started working in spoons in Lisburn and within the first two weeks I encountered many of problems with untrustworthy management. Lack of training, being left alone without being trained while managers went out for numerous smoke breaks throughout the day, however on my legally required break which the law states ‘every employer is entitled to at least 20 minutes interrupted’ I was asked to come off mine and that I had been timed and told I had ran over my break, yet still have 10 minutes remaining. I then raised this issue with further members of staff and according to other colleagues it isn’t in usual to miss out on breaks however managers ensure they get theirs? Within the first month I was clearly being given the low end of the jobs which nobody else wanted to do, being new I expected it to be the case, however as days progressed I realised it was more a case of people not wanting to work and clearly pushing it onto the new person. During my review yesterday I was told numerous things where I had gone wrong,
1- not wearing appropriate uniform, however not backed up with any evidence. I wore exactly what every other member of staff wore.
2- I complained to other management that I felt I wasn’t happy with training?
Should this be an issue? I think not. Not being trained is a lack on management part. So to discriminate and terminate ones employment due to raising a complaint?
3- begging for tips? Now this is one that really baffled me due to being one of th
ProsDecent rate of pay
ConsRidiculous shift, lack of training, constant shift changes, management message you or ring you outside of work
I worked for two and a half years at The Crown Wetherspoons in Worcester. Although stressful and tough times were had, the first year and a half was more than fun. Socially, making a whole new bunch of friends was a huge benefit, the majority of people I worked with - I adored. Management changed, and friends left, but still a 'family' type feel was still there. With the management change came a looser feel, less strict, more comfortable, but investigations took their time ( I know from personal experience after having two people investigated in my work for saying nasty things about me at work). Best advice I can give to an employee is: keep yourself to yourself, don't share personal information and be kind. A typical day at work would be dependent on your shift. You either do an open which is 7am onwards, a midway shift which can be anything from 12pm onwards, or a close which would be 6pm till unknown as you stop serving drinks (at 12pm or 1am in my pub dependent on the day you work) and then you close down bar, floor and glass wash and not to mention bottling up (unless you have an overnighter who does that from 12pm - 6am), coffee machines etc. You deliver a fast service of either being on the bar and serving drinks, doing iorders, or jumping on glass wash to get through trays of glasses, or on the floor to which you run food and clean tables. I have learned to not stress myself out on the job, I always out-did myself and tired myself out in the first few hours of every b
ProsCome September time certain food and drinks will be free on shifts, off shift it is 20%.
ConsHours are crazy could be working a 7am-4pm one day, and the next day be working 6pm-3/4am doing the closes, hours are too flexible and your sleeping pattern becomes awful.
A great deal of the staff are in the same boat as you. They want to turn up. Get paid. Go home. Nothing wrong with that at all. The problem is that correct training is not given to the staff that are hired. One of things that the company likes to do is hire people under the age of 21, so they will not have to pay them as much as the older staff. This results in a bunch of young people who are afraid of their own shadow and are worried that at any minute, they could be sacked. Staff are not told what to do and are then admonished for not doing it. They are given their rota at VERY short notice and management will complain if they dont turn up for their shift, despite not giving them ample amount of time. This results in staff being "Punished", by their hours being cut. The company employs a Guaranteed Minimum Hours system, but the amount are a pathetic and nom human being could live of them. A great deal (NOT all) of the managers, only care about the bottom dollar. This resultsin staff being spoken to like garbage from several of the customers and because the management are too scared to admonish the customer for fear that they wont return, the staff are told to ignore them or to "Suck It Up". In what job is it acceptable to be spoken to like dirt?!
Mangement had its ups and downs. When you have a very organised team, who have been trained properly and you have their backs, it can be a really fun place to work. Unfortunately, not everyone in management shares that idea. The
By far the worst job I've ever had. Used this job as something to pay the rent and nothing else and after working there for 5 days I'm handing my notice in today.
As somebody that has never done this type of job before I had no clue on how anything worked. Training was non existent, more of a 'heres a thing, do it' kind of program. Every single person I spoke to in the kitchen hate their job and hate the management. The management are an absolute joke. They hire trainees yet don't train them. I had some hint of 'training' yesterday by a manager in which he said I lacked common sense as apparently common sense now includes how to prepare a full gourmet dish with no training.. Whenever I messed up one of his 100 demands he would snap. Constantly belittling me too and somehow expects me to be Gordon Ramsey after 5 days where only the past day I actually got wetherspoons equivalent of 'training'
One colleague took it upon herself to mentor me for everything despite having her own things to do while management just sit back and do jack. The one positive thing about all this were a select few of my colleagues, my 'mentor' in particular. She trained me in a way that wasnt just 'heres a thing, do it' she took time to explain everything throughly despite not having to do so and she is an associate too! She deserves to be in a much better job in my opinion.
The majority of my colleagues just expected me to learn everything in 5 seconds and was generally just a really depressi
ProsThe 2 sane people
ConsZero hours, not even free lunch despite cooking them, awful degrading unsupportive management, sh1t pay for the work I do, absolutely no training yet expected to produce perfection, the entire job
Due to the desire to avoid being recognised by the management that will inevitably read this review, I will keep my points limited and non specific (I'm not a very confrontational person unless absolutely necessary, I do not deem this necessary).
1. Above minimum wage pay was good.
2. Getting more hours was quite easy, although they were not always the hours you wanted.
3. Possibility to make good friends is very solid, I definitely felt a family-like vibe from some of the people I worked with (some of the others were pricks though).
4. Kitchen managers could be nice to talk to and get on with, and did care about things like burns or cuts, taking their time even when busy to make sure your injury is seen to. Upon getting busy however, the managers could become rude and one in particular usually resorted to being condescending and insulting, but while annoying and uncalled for, was understandable due to the stress.
5. 50% off while on shift is nice and all, but when you work over 8 hours and still have to pay for absolutely everything except a glass of water, it gets a little annoying. Quite a lot of places provide a free meal upon reaching a certain amount of hours, no such luck here, even when doing 10 or more hours.
6. Do not take anything the management say about your performance or ability as solid evidence that you could be made permanent when your temporary contract ends. I was milked for hours in my last week, and introduced to some things I hadn't done befor
ProsGet hours when you need them, Bond with some coworkers can be great, Health and safety is always a focus to a degree, If food is compromised it is remade ensuring quality is not sacrificed.
ConsLack of ability to choose specific hours, Management and especially employees at times were rude and could make the job a pain, No free food regardless of hours done, Favouritism.
I worked as a waitress for a year before moving on to the bar and I loved it! The tips were great and most of the customers are lovely. I would take food out to customers, make sure everything was okay with their meal and then I would collect their plates and scrape them in the kitchen. I would then clean the tables and repeat the process over again. I still work for this company and often go on the floor during my shift whilst also working on the bar. If I am on a floor finish, I will need to refill all the condiments, replace the club mats with the correct ones for the following day and reset all the tables.
I have worked for 2 wetherspoons pubs and one I loved working in (my current one) and the other one I hated. The kitchen staff at my current one are lovely and don't mind you telling them if they have forgotten something from a meal however at my previous job, they hated being corrected.
Whilst working on the bar you often have to deal with moody customers who get angry if they aren't served immediately, so you definitely learn how to deal with them! On the bar, I will often wash glasses, serve customers drinks, place their food orders and put clean glasses away. You are never short of anything to do.
My colleagues are always up for a laugh and I have a lot of fun at work. We often socialise outside of work because most of us are really good friends. I always have someone to talk to if I feel down. The managers on the whole are helpful and are very good in en
Pros20% discount off food when off shift, 50% discount when on shift, Fun workplace, Energetic colleagues, Average shifts, Flexible hours, No experience required, It can become very busy very quickly so stressful!
Consvaried hours, 0 hours contract, customer complaints are quite common
Questions And Answers about J D Wetherspoon PLC
What are hair colour, tattoos & piercing policies?
Asked Feb 2, 2017
As long as its not a lot of piercings on the face then it depends on the managers. You should be alright. I've worked there 3 years.
Answered Mar 20, 2018
They don’t care
Answered Jan 4, 2018
What qualifications do you need to work at J D Wetherspoon PLC?
Asked Sep 26, 2021
Maths English gcse
Answered Sep 26, 2021
How did you get your first interview at J D Wetherspoon PLC?
Asked Jun 10, 2021
I was approached by management seeking for me to take up employment with them during a routine visit to the venue, after a conversation with the assistant manager, and discussing my terms and conditions, I accepted a contract, the subsequent interview was a formality.
Answered Jun 10, 2021
How do you get promoted to management at J D Wetherspoon PLC?
Asked Sep 16, 2020
Work hard and do very long hours.
Answered Sep 16, 2020
When you have had interview our long before they tell you if you have got the job or not
