Not what it seems like - Senior Inventory Clerk ACT Property Employee Review

When I first joined, the company was small, supportive, and had a genuine family feel. Leadership took the time to look after their staff, valued hard work, and showed their appreciation through regular fun socials and team activities. It felt like a place where everyone’s contribution mattered, and there was a real sense of camaraderie.

Covid was the turning point for this company. What was once a fun and supportive culture shifted into one driven by greed and ignorance. The managing directors have become completely out of touch with the reality of day-to-day work, and staff are neither respected nor supported. There is no concern for employee wellbeing — long hours, weekend work, and insufficient lunch breaks are the norm, and despite considerable growth, there is still no HR function in place. I have never felt so unhappy and unmotivated in a role, and leaving was the best decision I could have made. High staff turnover is a major issue, with people regularly dismissed without fair cause or any form of employee support plan. I would strongly advise others to avoid this company if they value being treated fairly and with respect.

There honestly aren’t any I can think of.

The thing that gets me about this role was that the actual content of the job was fine. But the thing that made it the most unbearable was that whoever deals with the bookings will cram your diary so full with the expectation that you will be able to make it to your next inspection in the exact time they predict which rarely ever happened because of travel issues, being sent to the wrong agent to pick up keys, or an interaction with tenants or concierges taking longer than expected, among many other possibilities. The way your schedule is made means that you only have enough time between inspections for commuting, meaning that having a LEGALLY MANDATED break is simply not possible. When queried about this management said allowing for breaks “doesn’t make sense for the company”. Myself and multiple other colleagues are not able to stop and eat a meal until after 6pm every day. Disabilities are not taken seriously in line with the Equality Act 2010. Management learned about my dynamic disability and promised to make adjustments such as not giving me long inspections in large properties and giving me space for breaks, acting on this for a few weeks or so before completely ignoring these reasonable adjustments. This has landed me in several dangerous situations where I have required emergency medical assistance, after one particular event I was then placed on two overtime shifts working 9-7pm with no breaks immediately after coming back from sick leave. Having spoken to management after this I was questioned “so, your illness is permanent?” As if I had never told them about my disabilities in the first place. The company also does not have an HR department which means it is impossible for these issues to be taken seriously. ACT peddles a cultish “family” mentality despite putting in minimal effort to ensure its property inspectors out in the field are properly looked after.