7y
Overall, we are very disappointed in these comments. At Bluprint, we take comments like this extremely seriously and our door is always open for any individual to speak to the HR team or the CEO to address any issues directly.
There are lots of examples within Bluprint of people who have and are currently developing their career, some of who have had multiple promotions within the space of one year. However, it is important to note that as a company, we see that it is not possible to lay down specific career tracks for each individual. Instead, we create an environment where opportunity exists and then it is up to the individual to take that opportunity or not. We feel that this is the best and most appropriate way to help develop talent.
The point that Bluprint hires cheap with no budget for raises or promotions is simply not the case. Like any business, we have to control cost.
In regards to the direction and success of the company, our company is less than five years old and with no starting reputation, has established client relationships with some of the biggest brands in the world. We have offices in Zurich, London and Liverpool, Sydney, USA and the UAE. We have acquired a business in Sydney which has some of the best experts in the business and a tremendous reputation for delivery. Our business has had over 250% growth over that period, with minimum growth of no less than 50% per year, so we are not sure what messages we’re putting out that are ‘bare faced lies’. Like any business, we like to accentuate the positives.
Scaling up has required a huge amount of investment. Yes, we are focused on profitability as every business should be but nearly all of the profits have been reinvested every year. We have made huge investments, particularly over the last 18 months, on new offices, acquisition of businesses, new business systems, improving the environment for our people, new compensation plans and additional training. All of these things have been an investment, particularly for a business of Bluprint’s size, which has required a lot of management. However, they are there clear to see.
We’re not sure what you mean by our results not being as good as made out, or our investment problem. As stated previously, the growth of Bluprint has been rapid. Bluprint has now established itself as one of the major martech companies and top 2-3 martech companies globally.
We would agree that people are thrown into projects and have to react quickly. This is and will continue to be, a Bluprint way. It is something great about Bluprint, that we’re able to bring in talent, particularly young talent, and give them an opportunity to be client-facing quickly. This has been successful in the past and we expect it to be successful in the future as it’s something that our customers really appreciate about Bluprint.
Sometimes, churn is not a bad thing and is not something that we see as a negative, however, Bluprint’s churn rate for staff is actually below the industry average.
The company supports most, if not all, of the requests for socialising and this is left up to the staff themselves. When we take internal surveys to measure engagement, if we feel that there is a comment that needs to be addressed directly with an individual (and we can understand who that is) then we definitely do this. As a business, we take a proactive and supportive approach to problems or challenges as we feel that it’s our responsibility to do so, whenever possible.
Comment from the CEO:
I am highly disappointed to understand that you feel like this. As a CEO and experienced manager, I never promise anything. However, I feel that it’s my responsibility to create an environment where opportunity exists for all and good/high performance is rewarded. Sometimes, in my experience, this can lead to an individual feeling as though promises have been made. In my opinion, this sometimes comes when an individual lacks self-awareness or does not want to take responsibility for their own performance, so I would ask you to reflect on what you could do better and then we could work together to bridge the gap. When it comes to our clients, I do set their expectations very high but I believe that we always deliver. A lot of the things that we do have never been done before, so I am very proud of what we have delivered. My apologies that BP hasn’t met your expectations and that you felt the need to make these comments but I would also like to thank you for taking the time to do it as I would rather hear your thoughts, even if anonymously.